Lost Swan
by Nikkette
Summary: She had fire. He liked fire. He liked it a lot. PanxEmma. Full summary inside. Rated T for the obvious Pan/Emma tension.
1. E Deal

**Summary: In a moment of desperation, Emma makes a deal with Pan to ensure Henry's safety. In exchange, she must stay in Neverland for the rest of her life. Now, she must adapt to her new surroundings and learn to cope with being alone again after being with her family for so long. She assumes she's being held as a victory trophy, but Pan has other ideas.**

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**A/N: I just can't seem to stop posting stories :/**

**Okay, so I've been watching season 3 of OUAT on Netflix, and I absolutely _love_ Pan and Emma. I still ship her with Gold and Hook, but _man_...I just _loves_ me some Pemma! :3**

**I was disappointed to find that there were only a handful of fanfics for these two, so I decided to write my own (and I just KNOW I'm not alone on this pairing). **

**As always I hope you enjoy it, and don't hesitate to follow fave and review ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

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Chapter One: Deal~

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"These will be your sleeping quarters."

Emma followed hesitantly behind Felix, looking anxiously around her. After making the deal with Pan, she had been ordered to follow the Lost Boy to the hollow tree where she would spend the rest of her miserable eternity. Hangman's Tree, they'd called it.

_How fitting,_ she mentally rolled her eyes.

She scanned the room.

It was unsurprisingly spacious, with tattered makeshift rugs and decorations and plenty of room to walk around and stretch one's legs. The entire inside of the tree had been carved, she realized, with the ceiling stopping a great many feet above her head.

A set of four bunk beds rested unoccupied at the far end of the room (which she found funny, since there were far more than four boys on this island) that had been chiseled out of the tree itself, along with a large table that sat permanently in its place on her far right, with tree stumps in place of proper seats.

Glass lamps that looked as though they had been taken from the 1800s were placed all along the walls, and as they bathed the inside of the tree with their warm antique light, Emma wondered just how long this place had been around.

Felix moved over to the bunk beds, standing beside the set closest to the table.

"This one's yours," he said coldly as he pointed to the bottom bunk, obviously enjoying this just as much as she was - not at _all_.

Emma slowly walked over to join him, stopping at what she decided was a safe distance from the hostile boy.

"Does everyone _share_ these around here or something?" She asked sarcastically, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Hangman's Tree is reserved _only_ for Pan's most loyal followers and special occasions," Felix replied, tone even colder than before. "Or I suppose in your case, untrustworthy _prisoners_."

And with that, he scowled and walked away, roughly brushing past her shoulder as he made his exit.

Emma sighed, relieved to be alone. She sat down on her bed, surprised to find there was plenty of room for her to sit up straight, even with the top bunk hanging ominously above her head.

At least she wouldn't develop a humpback from being hunched over like an old woman every morning for the rest of her days.

She pulled back the covers to her messily made bed and ran her fingertips over the smooth grooves in the wood. _Children_ might be able to handle sleeping on hard surfaces, but _she_ was going to have a rough next few hundred years of sleepless nights. She was sure of it.

"Like it?"

Emma's head snapped up and whirled around to face the source of the voice.

Pan.

Immediately she stood up from the bed, senses alert as she moved her hand behind her back to feel for a weapon that was no longer there. She had forgotten that it had been taken from her.

Pan chuckled from the doorway. "I see you're still adjusting to life without worry."

"The only thing I'm 'adjusting' to is life without my _son_," she bit back.

_And a comfortable bed,_ she added mentally.

Pan smirked, launching himself off of the door frame he was leaning against and lazily making his way over to where she stood. Emma cautiously shifted her weight between her tired and aching feet, ready to bolt at the slightest sign of trouble.

"A deal's a deal, Emma. You know that." He said, changing direction and veering off to the side, causing Emma to do the same.

She cautiously moved backwards and away from the bunk beds, making sure to keep her eyes trained on Pan as he slowly advanced on her.

"Be that as it may," she said warily. "But don't expect me to become one of your _Lost Girls._"

She was past the table now, and they were still matching each other step for step. Pan smiled ruefully as he boredly hung his head and ran his index finger along the table's length before his arm fell back to his side again.

"Well, Emma, you'll be happy to hear that I have no intention of making you a Lost Girl."

Emma abruptly stopped, and so did he. With one sentence, the impish boy had thoroughly confused her. If he didn't want that, then why did he...?

"Then why _do_ you want me here?" She asked, voicing her thoughts.

Pan smirked again, wide and malicious, and the dark glint that appeared in his eyes made Emma almost wish that she hadn't opened her mouth to begin with.

"You're the Savior, Emma," he said, holding his arms out as though it were obvious.

He was only a couple of feet away from her now, and the look on his face told her that she was supposed to be satisfied with this answer, her predicament.

For Emma, however, it wasn't _nearly_ good enough. Not by a long shot.

"I think we _both_ know that has almost _nothing_ to do with it," she said brazenly, uncurling from her defensive position to stand at her full height. "You didn't _have_ to offer that deal to me, didn't have to offer me _anything_. Why do you _really_ want me here?"

It was true.

He had no obligation whatsoever to offer her a way out, let alone an escape from the hard road that she and the others had only just begun to tread in order to get Henry back. But for some reason - some twisted, unknown reason - he had. And she, in all her desperation and motherly instinct, had accepted.

And now she was stuck here with Peter Pan and the _Lost Boys. _

If she were still the same person she had been eight months ago, she would have laughed at the absurdity of it all.

"Like I said, Emma," Pan smiled. "You've got fire. And I like fire."

Without warning he advanced on her, and in her panic she leapt back, shock jolting through her body as her head slammed into a wall she hadn't known was there. Pan's face was mere inches away from hers, and his cool breath and cocky expression fanned her face and engulfed her vision. Emma swallowed.

"I like it a lot."

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**A/N: So, I don't know how long Emma has actually spent in Storybrooke up until Season 3, but I figured 8 months sounded legitimate enough. If you know the exact amount of time regarding her stay, don't hesitate to let me know in a pm or review. I'll change it immediately.**

**Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the story so far. As much as I love OUAT, I always shied away from writing anything for it because it's one of those shows where you can't just focus on any two characters without it affecting all the other characters. But with Neverland, I can do just that!**

**Again, please don't hesitate to review/fave/follow/whatever, because I love it X3**

**'Til next time!**


	2. P Hostile

**A/N: Thank you, Guest, for reviewing the first chapter. You're really awesome to do that, and it makes me feel good to know you cared enough to do so :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

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Chapter two: Hostile~

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Pan inwardly smirked to himself.

It was so much fun making Emma uncomfortable, watching her squirm. It was just so easy, _too_ easy. The famed 'Savior of magic' shouldn't be so _easily_ shaken by close proximity with a stranger, let alone him. But of course, he was never one to complain.

Especially not now, when she was only an inch away from him.

While Emma was still in shock, Pan took the opportunity to admire her eyes. They were so light - a beautiful, haunting shade of blue. Vacant yet _filled_ with sorrow, love, pain, regret... He could almost _see_ the spark of flames light up behind her vibrant irises-

Without warning, Emma shoved him away with all her might, and he went sailing backwards.

Pan's back collided with the table behind him, and despite the pain that struck his lower back and spine, he was surprised at just how far she'd been able to throw him, even off guard as he was.

"I'm impressed," he said, smiling in a way that he knew unnerved her. "But then again...I should expect no less."

He pushed himself off the table, pain still throbbing through his body, and Emma was immediately on guard again. She moved as far away from him as the hollow of the tree would allow, and looked at him wide eyed.

"What the _hell_ was that for?!" She yelled panickedly.

Pan smiled ruefully. She stared at him as though he were the most wild, spontaneous, most _unpredictable_ thing she had ever laid eyes on.

And he loved it.

"What's the matter, Emma? Afraid I won't be a _gentleman?_" He teased, sneering.

Emma stayed silent, slowly and cautiously moving along the edge of the room in an attempt to get away from him.

Pan knew what she was doing (or rather, trying to do) and she knew that he knew, but the way she'd decided to do it anyway, the boldness with which she took action, as if daring him to stop her, was amazing.

Her brazenness thrilled him.

Seeing her guarded posture and wary expression, Pan decided to shock her once more.

She barely even had the time to see that something was wrong. Pan smirked, Emma blinked, and he was suddenly in front of her again, having transported himself across the room.

Panicking at the closed distance, Emma's hands scrambled behind her for an object that could be used for defense. When she found nothing, she settled for the next best thing.

Clenching her fist, the Savior gave him no time to react as her fist connected with his cheekbone. _Hard_.

Pan was sent reeling, giving her the perfect opening to escape.

Stumbling to regain his footing, Pan rubbed his sore cheek, drawing his hand back to find a tiny trickle of blood on his fingertips. Chuckling darkly, he called back to the retreating blonde.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said, and immediately her footsteps halted.

"I don't know if you've _forgotten_, but we had a _deal._"

He vanished and reappeared in the doorway, blocking her exit.

"And_ no one_ breaks deals with Peter Pan." He finished, lips curling unpleasantly.

He proceeded to take a few menacing steps toward her, and Emma backed up until she was back where she'd started - the beds. Fumbling, she tripped over herself and landed on her bunk, eyes wide as saucers as she scrambled to sit up straight, her boots tangling in the covers as her back met the unmoving inner wall of the tree behind her.

Smiling in false sweetness, Pan rested his hands on his knees and bent down to her level, as though he were talking to a disobedient child.

"I hate to break it to you, _Savior_, but you're in _my_ world now. And in _my_ world, _you_ do as _I _say_._"

He moved his hand to tuck a disheveled strand of hair behind her ear, smirking as she flinched from the contact.

Pan stood back up, towering over her like a giant before turning on his heel and walking away.

"I'd get some sleep if I were you," he called over his shoulder. "You're looking a little worn around the eyes."

He chuckled silently to himself.

She'd punched him.

In all his five hundred years, no one had ever punched him before, _e__ver_. Because they knew of the wrath that would be brought upon them if they'd ever tried, let alone succeeded. _They_ were scared, but not her.

She took risks.

He liked that.

Pan stalked out of the room, leaving Emma alone to wallow in her self pity.

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**A/N: Well, there it is. I hope it was just as good as the first chapter, with even flow and everything. I normally don't update this quickly (usually every week or two weeks) but I wanted to make it clear that I'm going to finish this.**

**I love Pemma (you gotta admit, throughout all those Neverland episodes, there was _definitely_ somethin' there) but it's a pairing that I feel would obviously be dark, and maybe - MAYBE! - gradually move towards something lighter, softer, mushy and stuff...uh, _love!_ That's the word I was looking for! Lol.**

**Feel free to review or whatever. It's all good to me :)**

**'Til next time!**


	3. EP Curiosity

**A/N: I've noticed that Pan smirks. A lot. And it feels a little ridiculous typing 'Pan smirked' or 'Pan smiled devilishly' so much, but at the same time he DOES that and there's nothing I can do. I can't really think of another word for smirk either, so this will have to do. Besides, you have to admit, he does that...a lot.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Emma has some doubts and Pan gets a little...well, as the title says, _curious_ ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

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Chapter three: Curiosity~

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Emma scooted to the edge of her bed, resting her feet on the floor.

For some reason, she felt like crying. It wasn't because of Pan, or maybe it was? She didn't know. But either way, she wasn't doing well.

She sighed.

Why did she do this? Why did she have to go and hurl herself at the first sign of a possibility to a solution to her problems? Was she really that desperate? That weak?

She exhaled.

She never should have made that deal. Never should have talked to Pan. Never should have agreed to such a ridiculous request. Never-

No.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she reached up to wipe them away.

_No_, she decided. _It_ was _worth it. _Henry _was worth it._

Even if she _hadn't_ struck the deal with Pan, even if she _did_ end up finding another way, by then it may have been too late. Henry was safe _now_. And that was all that mattered.

Feeling fresh tears give way, Emma hung her head and let them fall onto her lap. Her shoulders heaved and she sniffled, but didn't bother to calm herself down.

Curling up on the bed, Emma tucked her hands beneath her head and cried herself to sleep...

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Pan walked into Hangman's Tree, feeling tired and worn from the day's events.

He assumed by now that it was safe to approach Emma again, though he couldn't be sure how much time had passed.

It was always hard to tell what time it was in Neverland, especially when the Lost Boys tended to stay up for as long as they wanted, sleep whenever they saw fit and eat everywhere in between, but he knew that, for him, it was time for bed.

Pan strode into the large room that the tree provided, stopping suddenly when he caught sight of the woman on his mind. Her back was to him, but he was almost certain she was asleep.

_Almost_.

Treading carefully on the wooden floors, he approached her with caution. It wasn't that he was afraid of her (the very _thought_ was laughable) but he didn't want to startle her if she truly was awake.

He wanted her to warm up to Neverland, to embrace it. He wanted her to accept who she was, who he _knew_ her to be - she was an orphan, a Lost Girl. Not some silly 'Savior' meant to _save_ _magic_ and _rid_ _the world of evil _or some nonsense. And the sooner she realized that the better.

Pan stopped in front of the bunk beds and peered over Emma's form.

She was asleep, alright.

Making sure to be careful, he placed himself at the edge of her bed and sat down, noticing almost instantly the tear tracks that adorned her face. Scrunching his eyebrows together, he reached out a hand to touch her cheek, quickly drawing away when she unconsciously shifted from her side onto her back.

Feeling the slightest hint of panic, Pan froze, relaxing when he realized that she was still asleep.

Seeing he was in no danger of being caught, he took the time to admire her. She really was quite beautiful. Her blonde hair and smooth complexion were very pleasing to the eye, and her long lashes and pale lips made her all the more attractive in Pan's mind.

Taking his gaze away from her face, he decided to focus on Emma's clothing.

It really was quite strange, her attire. He hadn't been to the Savior's realm in _decades_ \- he left all of his work to his shadow now - so he had no clue as to the changes that had befallen the times there, but he had to admit, it was quite a jump from the fashion he was used to seeing.

Pan ran his fingers over the hem of Emma's shirt, kneading the soft and strangely elastic fabric between his thumb and forefinger. She was going to need new clothes soon, he thought, when she became one of them.

If she was going to join him and the Lost Boys in the future (and she would, he would make sure of that) he didn't want even a _semblance_ of what her life was like before she knew them, knew_ him. _And that included clothing.

Growing bored with her shirt, Pan moved his attention down to her jeans.

_How strange_, he thought, knitting his eyebrows together as he caught glimpse of the belt straps on her pants.

He curiously looped a finger through one of the straps, tugging lightly at it. He marvelled at the strength of the thin piece of fabric, noticing the dozens of impossibly tiny seams keeping it secured to the rest of her abnormally tight trousers.

Suddenly feeling paranoid, Pan leaned away.

The _last_ thing he wanted was to explain to Felix or one of the others why his face was so close to the Savior's jeans.

As he looked around, he noticed that Emma's boots were still on, even as she slept soundly beside him.

He sighed.

"Oh, Emma," Pan chided. "What am I going to do with you?"

Twisting around, he proceeded to remove her boots, setting them gently on the floor next to her bed.

She was such a silly girl, acting all high and mighty when she couldn't even sleep properly. She may hate to admit it, but she was more of a Lost Girl than most of the island inhabitants, himself included.

Standing up, Pan looked at the sleeping woman one last time before briefly dusting himself off and climbing into the bunk just above hers.

Just then, Felix walked in.

"Enjoying your new _pet?_" He spat, stalking over to the pair of beds beside them.

"Felix," Pan addressed, propping up his elbow so he could hold up his head. "Tired so soon? And here I thought you were a nightcrawler."

The teen said nothing as he angrily threw the covers back on his bed, turning to scowl at the blonde sleeping blissfully unaware of what was taking place.

Pan caught on immediately.

"I apologize that you're not enjoying your new sleeping arrangements," he said, smirking. "But I'm afraid you have the softest sheets. And Heaven knows we wouldn't want Emma to be uncomfortable on her first night here."

Felix's mouth twitched into a sneer, but kept silent as he unceremoniously flopped down onto his new bunk, turning over to face away from Pan and Emma.

Pan inwardly chuckled to himself, amused at his subordinate's immature behavior.

Yes, you truly never grow up in Neverland.

Rolling onto his back, Peter crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the ceiling ending high above his head.

He sighed.

Hearing Emma snore softly on the bunk beneath him, Pan smiled to himself before raising his hand to turn out the lights.

He snapped his fingers and the flames of the lamps that decorated the walls extinguished, and as he turned to lay on his side he comforted himself with the thought that, from here on out, Emma would always be his.

His little Savior...

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**A/N: Thank you to Guest, Guest2, and Mona. It's great knowing that I have readers that like this story and are willing to make themselves known :)**

**Also, if you have an idea or scene that you would like to see incorporated into the story, please share. I know the _basic_ direction of where I'm going with this, but that doesn't mean I won't appreciate help with filling in the gaps ;)**

**Also, some things I feel you should know about this story:**

**1\. There will be no change of rating.**

**2\. In this story, Pan is NOT Gold's father! So any parallels or similarities between Gold and Peter's behavior, dismiss it!**

**3\. Chapters will alternate between Pan and Emma's POV, and some (like with this chapter) will have a split POV in a single chapter. If you prefer a certain POV let me know, I'll try and accommodate.**

**And 4. It WILL have a happy ending, no matter _how_ much drama I have to write through.**

**If you've got any other questions, just ask in a review or pm. I'll be happy to answer them in the next chapter :)**

**I've been sick this past day (sore throat and headache, nothing serious) so I'm kind of immobile at the moment. It either means that I won't be updating for a while, or I'll be updating like crazy because I have nothing else to do. We'll see *shrugs***

**'Til next time!**


	4. EPE Morning

**A/N: It's kind of ridiculous considering that it's only been 4 days since I last updated, but I still feel like I need to apologize because it feels so much longer than that. Weird, huh?**

**To Guest, thank you for your review on chapter 3. It's strangely comforting to know I'm capable of writing a story that's both tragic _and_ adorable. And just for the record, I love you too. lol ^^**

**Kimi, wow! I ended up writing this like, 18 minutes after your review! Funny, huh? I would _gladly_ write 10 more Pemma fanfictions, but I'm not really that great with cranking out ideas XD I've thought about doing some PanxEmma drabbles and oneshots, though. Why? Do you have an idea in particular that you would like me to write? I'm all ears, or in the case of the internet, eyes. Lol :3**

**I ended up writing a triple POV for this chapter. I'm bad, aren't I? *wiggles eyebrows***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

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Chapter four: Morning~

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Emma slowly opened her eyes, lids heavy as she blinked herself awake.

She grumbled, turning over and burying her face in the covers, not wanting to get up just yet.

...Wait.

She bolted up from her spot and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bunk. Her memories of the last few days and the night before struck her like lightning as her bare feet touched the ice-cold floor of the Hollow Tree...wait,_ bare feet?_

Emma snapped her gaze down to her feet, noticing her boots placed neatly on the floor beside her.

She knew for a _fact_ that she hadn't taken her shoes off.

Abruptly, she stood up from the bed, adrenaline rushing, and looked suspiciously around her. Nothing seemed to be out of place, other than_ her._ _She_ wasn't supposed to be here. But then she remembered the deal, remembered _Pan,_ and she admitted begrudgingly that yes, she _was_ supposed to be here. And it was all her fault.

Hearing a growing commotion from outside, Emma leapt back into her bunk, frantically diving under the covers.

She wasn't sure why she was doing this, feigning sleep. It was childish and dumb and stupid and there was really no reason for it. But there she was, squeezing her eyes shut and pretending to be asleep. The voices she heard grew rapidly louder and her heartbeat wasn't calming down and suddenly they were inside and oh God she was starting to panic.

Willing herself to relax, Emma forced herself to breath normally (she could swear her lungs were going to burst from the denied oxygen) and still her movements, thankful that her back was to them so they couldn't see her face - if they did, she was sure to be found out.

She listened.

"Man, I'm _starving!_ Can we eat now?"

She didn't recognize the voice, but it was definitely from one of the younger members of the group.

"Not yet. We still need to wake Emma."

She cringed. That was Pan.

"Why should _she_ matter? It's not like she can't eat when she wakes up."

That was definitely Felix.

"_Because_, Felix, she's a _guest_. This is her first day here without her son, everyone. And it had _better_ be a good impression."

Pan's commanding tone echoed throughout the hollow of the tree, successfully silencing the others.

"_Now_," their leader continued. "Emma _will_ join us for breakfast. Be _thankful_ you're even _allowed_ to participate. Now _leave_. I won't have your negative thoughts impact my morning."

Emma let out a quiet breath as she heard the retreating footsteps, relief coursing through her.

To be honest, she didn't quite know what to do now. She _could_ continue to fake sleep for a little while longer, but she would have to get up eventually. There was really no point in delaying the inevitable.

Just as her brain began sending messages to her muscles to get up and out of bed, she froze.

The room was suddenly encompassed in a tense air, the silence ringing in her ears and the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Her heart began speeding up and she was suddenly overcome with the paranoid feeling that she was being watched. She swallowed, genuinely afraid of turning around to dispel her fears.

It only got worse when she felt an icy breeze on her neck, just below her ear, that smelled faintly of mint.

And then it spoke.

"You shouldn't fake sleep, Savior. It's a bad look for you."

Emma's eyes shot open and she sat up, whirling around to face the devilish smirk of Peter Pan. What? He had never left with the rest of the Lost Boys? How long had he been there? How long had he been that _close?!_

Pan chuckled at the thoughts he seemed to know were swirling through her head.

"You may be able to lie to _yourself_, Emma, but not to me. It was pretty obvious you were awake."

"...How long have you been there?" Emma asked suspiciously, standing up.

"I've always been here, Emma. You know that."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Great. He was going to be a _smartass_ with her.

"I mean _there_, next to _me_," she said firmly, gesturing to the bed.

Pan smiled. "How long do you_ think?_"

She looked down at the floor, thinking. "...The whole time?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Savior. I know you haven't been with a man for quite some time but that's _hardly_ a reason to flatter yourself-"

"The_ whole time?_!" She shrieked, his mischievous tone already confirming her suspicions. "You were breathing down my _neck_ the second they _left_-"

"Has anyone ever told you you smell faintly of vanilla?"

"_Ugh!_"

* * *

Pan watched, amused, as Emma shook her shoulders vigorously and cringed in disgust.

He knew that the thought of him being so close to her wasn't as disturbing as she would have liked him to believe, liked even _herself_ to believe; he could see it in her eyes.

She wouldn't admit it (probably didn't even_ know_ about it) but there was a wild seed within her that only needed the proper care and right circumstances in order to sprout and grow. And as she calmed down from her theatrics, he planned to do just that.

"Are you done?" Pan asked boredly, hiding the mirth he felt when she looked at him with the face of an annoyed teenager.

"Well...yeah. I guess so," Emma replied warily, scrunching her eyebrows together as though she wasn't sure if she'd really just said that.

"Good. Now come to breakfast with us. I assure you the food will be to your tastes," he said, walking away.

Surprised by his invitation, Emma took a step forward, opening her mouth to stop him.

"Hey! wait!"

Peter stopped just as she requested, but when he turned around to see what she wanted, that was as far as she got. She didn't have a question, she didn't have a snippy comeback. In fact, it surprised him.

"I'll...be down in a minute..." she finished lamely, clearly disappointed with herself.

But that surprised him even more.

Lifting his eyebrows, Pan nodded, turning around once more to leave. The big bad 'Savior' had just willingly agreed to have breakfast with him. And on her first day, nonetheless.

Feeling a slight tugging at the corners of his mouth, he let a small smile grace his lips as he left the room.

* * *

Emma pulled on her boots, unsure of what had just happened.

Had she _really_ just agreed to have breakfast with Peter Pan and the_ Lost Boys?_ _Without a fight?_

She shook her head.

She had only been here a day and already her mind was slipping. Standing up, she twirled her arms and stretched. Sleeping on a wooden bed isn't _nearly_ as appealing as it looks, and _that's_ saying something.

Feeling a sense of anxiousness knot up in her stomach, Emma ignored her uneasiness at not knowing what to expect when she walked outside.

Straightening her back, the Savior steeled herself and left the haven of the Hollow Tree, confident in her ability to face whatever awaited her outside.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was actually going to be a lot longer, but I decided that it was long enough here, so I cut it off.**

**Anyway, I held off on updating this for a little bit because I wasn't sure where it was headed. I really only had this story mapped out in my head up until chapter 3. You will be happy to know, however, that I have the entire story written down on my Kindle in plot points right up until the end, so I know where I'm going. I'm not a lost girl anymore, no pun intended XD**

**Reviews are very welcome, though I know by all the views I get that I am loved ^^**

**'Til next time!**


	5. E Banquet

**A/N: Guest, I completely agree about the last chapter, which is why I'm posting the second half today! :D I ****would've done it last night but I was too lazy and too tired.**

**This entire chapter is in Emma's POV, so don't get confused at the line breaks.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter five: Banquet~

* * *

Emma's eyes widened at the sight before her.

This wasn't breakfast. This was a _banquet_.

She stared in shock at the all the people - all the_ Lost Boys_ \- gathered around either side of a large wooden table that seemed to stretch for a mile just outside the Hollow Tree.

And what was even stranger was that they were cheering for _her_, whooping and howling and hollering in delight that appeared oddly genuine, except on Felix's part.

Pan, who was seated at the far end of the table, stood up, smiling.

"Well, if it isn't the Savior. You finally decided to show." He said, and everyone clapped for her.

"Yeah, well, you know what they say; better late than never," she responded, chuckling uneasily.

This was so weird.

Pan made a motion with his hands signaling everyone to settle down, and they immediately complied, seating themselves comfortably on their tree stumps.

"Please, please. I know we're all excited to welcome our newest resident here in Neverland, but let's tone it down a bit. Emma has _sensitive ears_ this morning," he said, sending a knowing smirk her way.

She felt an embarrassing heat flood up her neck and into her face.

That little prick just loved to make her uncomfortable.

She opened her mouth to bite out a retort or clever remark, but stopped herself. It would only make it worse. The best thing she could do right now was to keep her mouth shut, which was a task in itself, really - her whole _family_ was living proof of that.

"Emma, sit down next to me!" A little boy called happily, patting the corner of the table.

"No, sit next to me!" Another one said from the other side.

"No, she's sitting with _me!_" The first boy yelled, banging his fist on the wood.

"_No_, she's sitting with _me_," the second one yelled just as loudly, and they proceeded to have a screaming contest.

There was only one available seat and that was at the head of the table...or maybe it was the foot since Pan was sitting at the head. She didn't know.

Either way, it was ridiculous for them to be fighting about it when she would be sitting next to both of them anyway, but the painful tingling from the little hairs in her ears stopped her from voicing her thoughts.

She noticed Pan smirk laughingly across the table, and when he opened his mouth she found it strange that she could still hear him amidst the yelling.

"You'd better sit down, Savior."

She didn't need to give that one much thought.

Emma sat down, far less reluctantly than before due to the two young boy's bickering, thankful that they promptly shut their mouths the second her butt hit the seat.

She huffed, tossing a glare at the devil boy across from her.

She could get through this, but if he was going to spend all morning mentioning what happened in the Hollow Tree and her 'sensitive ears', she just might leap from the table and punch him.

* * *

After everyone was seated, Pan finally said they could eat.

As Emma looked around the table, she was surprised at what she found.

The table was covered in Earth food, _normal_ food - pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, french toast, banana bread, fruit, muffins...the works.

Her stomach grumbled and her saliva glands started working overtime at the sight of morsels she was usually too lazy to make herself in the first place, and as she noticed everyone else digging in she knew it probably wasn't poisoned.

Letting her stomach get the better of her, she reached over and grabbed a slice of bacon, sniffing it curiously before dropping it down onto her carved wooden plate.

She turned to the boy on her right. "Is this normal?" She asked, keeping her voice low.

The boy's head perked up, happy for the attention.

"Of course," he said, dropping a giant stack of waffles onto his plate. "Pan always throws a party for new people."

"Oh..." She said, strangely disappointed by her answer. "Well, where'd all the food come from?"

"Pan went to get it this morning."

"And do know where he got it?"

"Nope. He goes by himself to get stuff."

With the conversation having ended, Emma stayed quiet and went back to her food.

As she mulled over the possibility of escape - Pan could leave, so why couldn't she? - she was unaware of the pair of eyes watching her from across the table.

* * *

Over the course of an hour, she ended up having a little bit of everything; a slice of bacon, a bite of a muffin, half a waffle, a few bites of french toast, two mini pancakes, an egg, a small serving of fruit, and a slice of banana bread.

And now she was stuffed.

As she sat in her chair, stuffed as a teddy bear and full beyond imagination, she knew that she should probably be more guarded around a gang of Lost Boys and their tyrannical leader, but at the moment she couldn't bring herself to care.

All she wanted to do now was sleep.

"Alright, who's ready for a game?" Pan said loudly, and the boys jumped up from their seats, cheering at the top of their lungs.

Emma groaned.

_Game?_ What was _wrong_ with these kids? Couldn't they just go to _sleep_ for a while?

"But what will we play?" One of them asked.

Pan began to reply when another voice chimed, "Is Emma going to play?"

It was suddenly quiet, and Emma felt self conscious as everyone's attention was directed at her.

"O- oh no, I don't feel up to playing any games," she said, voice thick with over indulgence as she ignored the contented look from Felix.

She closed her eyes, Pan's voice penetrating her ears. "Why don't you all go on ahead? Emma and I will catch up shortly."

The boys cried out happily, making the biggest commotion known to man as they left their seats and half eaten plates and stomped playfully into the woods, howling with mirth.

She sighed.

So _unruly_...

She heard a shuffle beside her and she opened her eyes, finding Pan seating himself next to her with the tree stump one of the little boys had been using.

"Here," he said, taking a bottle from his belt. "Drink this."

She eyed the glass vial suspiciously, untrusting of the neon blue liquid.

"It's for your stomach," he explained, holding it out to her.

"What does it_ do?_" She asked, in spite of her overly full belly.

"It'll evaporate some of the food in your stomach."

She took the vial. "What, like a magical Tums?"

"If that is what Tums do, then yes," he said.

Emma downed the vial, not noticing the steady gaze that fell distractedly on her neck.

"Ugh! _Man_, that's like liquid _cough drops!_" She exclaimed, face twisting in disgust as the burning cold substance raced down her throat.

Pan took the bottle back. "Yes, well, you'd be surprised how often I need to administer this."

"Where do _get_ that stuff?"

He smirked. "That's a secret. But it's very easy to make, so don't hesitate in gorging yourself in the future."

Emma cringed. "Whatever..."

"Feeling better yet?"

"Uh...Yeah. Yeah, I am, actually..."

"Good."

Pan stood up, holding out a hand for her to take.

"We've got games to play."

* * *

**A/N: And what fun games they'll be... *smirks mischievously* lol jk. Sort of.**

**The next few chapters I have planned out will be chock _full_ of Pemma interaction, so buckle down! Why? Because we all know we don't buckle 'up' when we get on the rides of our lives...or imaginations. Lol.**

**'Til next time!**


	6. E Hide

**A/N: Back again! I've decided to change the chapter titles ever so slightly, so you know what POV the chapter will be in. 'P' stands for Pan and 'E' for Emma, though I'm sure you would've figured that out soon enough XD**

**time-twilight, you _read_ my _freaking_ _mind. _I AM going to make Emma younger in this fic, I've planned it since the beginning. But that's all the spoilers you're going to get! No more! You can't make me! *zips lips* 0^0**

**hateme101, oh, you. I love how your username is the exact opposite of your review. You little rebel. I like you XD**

**Guest, You truly don't know what your review means to me. It makes me feel loads better knowing that you think my writing is good, _and_ that it keeps getting better. Because personally, I feel like my writing flow deteriorates with each passing chapter, as though I'm losing grasp of the initial core and magic of the story. I'm glad you think otherwise :')**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter six: Hide~

* * *

Emma trudged along behind Pan, stomping through the endless supply of fallen leaves and branches and twigs that covered the forest floor.

Her stomach was feeling much better now (in fact, she was starting to get hungry again) and with nothing else to do, she let her mind wander. Her brain whirred with hundreds of idle and passing thoughts; did seasons change in Neverland? How long had the Lost Boys been here? Was Henry okay? How old was Pan? Was Regina taking care of him like she said she would? What game were they going to play? Did her parents miss her? Was she going to grow old too?

Emma shook her head.

She thought too much.

She was broken from her train of thought by the sounds of laughing and idle chatter, and at last she realized they had reached their destination.

The Lost Boys stood huddled together in the middle of a clearing, whooping and hollering as they noticed Pan's arrival. The ageless boy smirked with mirth as he strutted up to meet them, and Emma stayed warily behind on the sidelines, knowing she didn't quite belong amongst them.

Pan had noticed this, and after greeting and high-fiving everyone (the scene reminded her of a group of rowdy football players) he quieted the rambunctious adolescents and beckoned her to join them.

"Come now, Emma. Don't be shy," he grinned, and the boys (Felix _not_ included) all smiled and motioned for her to come closer.

Smiling timidly, Emma took a few small steps forward. She really didn't want to be manhandled like 'one of the guys', but she supposed if she was going to be forced to stay here for the rest of her life, then she might as well try and fit in. And given her current situation; homesickness, missing-Henry-syndrome, paranoia and borderline depression, it couldn't hurt. Might as well make the most of it while she still could.

Emma stepped closer until she was a mere foot away from them, away from Pan, and suddenly the boys crowded around her and enveloped her in a massive group hug, causing her to be crushed against Pan's frame.

The quickness of the movement had caught her off guard, and she was just barely able to miss butting heads with the teen, her cheek grazing his as her face came to rest just above his shoulder.

Shouts of enthusiasm sounded in her ears like a police siren, and when they finally released her she took in a much needed breath.

Pan smirked in her peripheral vision.

"Alright, that's quite enough," he said, raising his arms to thin out the over-excited crowd. "Now, we _came_ here to play a game. Now what shall it be?"

Felix stepped forward. "We've all decided on-"

"Hide and seek!" Someone finished, unable to contain their excitement.

Emma hid her dread.

Hide and _seek? _She _hated_ that game. She hadn't played that since...well, since foster care. And she'd be _damned_ if she was going to relive _that_ part of her life.

"Can't we play something else? I- I really don't like that game," she suggested, hopeful they would listen.

"_Nooo!_" One boy whined, followed by another protest.

"Don't worry, Emma," Pan chuckled. "We'll go easy on you."

She could already see his devious little mind working to find something to do with her new-found weakness.

"Alright, now I'm going to count, and _you_ all hide. Ready?"

Just as she was moving to cover her ears to shield from the oncoming yells of enthusiasm, Emma was surprised to see the Lost Boys immediately start scrambling away for a place to hide. She looked to Pan for guidance, but he had already started counting.

"One," he said, smirking devilishly at her as he took a step back.

"Wait, where am I supposed to hide?" She asked frantically.

He took another step back, his back hitting the large tree behind him.

"Two,"

"How high are we counting, how far can we go?"

He said nothing, instead turning around and placing his arm against the tree, hiding his eyes.

"_Three_,"

She pursed her lips.

Deciding that she was only wasting time, Emma whirled around and ran, seeking a place to hide herself. She came across a tree with a hollow spot that was just big enough for her to squeeze into. Perfect. Ducking her head, she began to crawl inside, only to be shooed away by a Lost Boy.

"Hey, this is my spot! Go get your own!" He whispered harshly.

"Well where else am I _s'posed_ to hide? This is the only place big enough for me to fit!" She whispered back, panic rising in her chest the longer she sat there.

"Use your imagination!" He said, grabbing hold of a bundle of branches and placing them in front of his hiding spot.

Emma felt dread rise in the pit of her stomach as her only hiding place was denied to her. She felt like a rabbit in a trap being out in the open, and who knew whether Pan was done counting or not.

Breathing in determination, the Savior decided to try once more for a place to conceal herself.

Bolting from her spot, she ran farther into the woods, looking frantically for a suitable spot. Climbing trees was out of the question - she wasn't a teenager anymore, dammit - and hiding beneath a giant pile of leaves was close to ridiculous - she wasn't a 90lb twelve year old, either. It would be so obvious she might as well just go stand in the clearing. Finally, she found something.

_Oh, please don't be taken,_ she thought, heading for a large bush.

Looking behind the bundle of leaves, she breathed in relief when she found that no one was occupying it.

"Alright," she heard Pan call. "Ready or not, here I come."

Panicking, she ducked behind the bush and curled up on the forest floor, peeking through a break in the leaves as she calmed her breathing and rapidly beating heart down.

She heard footsteps crunching in the leaves somewhere ahead and her breath hitched, waiting anxiously for the fairytale boy to show himself. She swallowed. It was kind of ridiculous, really. Being so serious over a game of hide and seek. So 'scared' of being discovered-

A branch snapped loudly to her left and she panicked, inhaling sharply as her eyes darted to the noise.

Nothing.

She released her breath in relief, only to hold it in again when she realized she was probably being too loud.

Suddenly, she froze. The ambient noise died out into silence and the air became tense, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end like a cat. In fact, the feeling was very similar to when...

Emma slowly turned her head.

Pan stood a mere inch away, towering above her.

He smirked.

"Found you."

* * *

**A/N: Yep, and it'll only get juicier from here ;)**

**In case you didn't quite understand, the feeling that Emma got just before being caught was the same as when Pan had been watching her 'sleep' back in chapter 4.**

**Reviews are not forced but highly encouraged, as always. I love reading you guys' reviews :)**

**I'll try to update this again in the next couple of days, we'll see.**

**'Til next time!**


	7. E Seek

**A/N: 09/30/14 I figured I'd kept you guys waiting long enough, so here's the much anticipated chapter to the terrible cliffhanger I left you with XD**

**MinhUsagi134: Wow! I've been called a lot of things in my life, but inspiration was never one of them! Thank you! I'm glad my story's good enough to inspire you to continue your OUAT fic. I've actually come across it before when I was looking up Pemma. It holds promise! Update soon! :)**

**WolfGirl1020: I don't really write lemons...like, ever, and even though I promised this story's rating wouldn't change and that I wouldn't give away any more spoilers (which I fully intend to do) I _can_ tell you that your needs will be tended to. Most likely in the next chapter ;)**

**Guest: Yay! You reviewed! :D I always look forward to your reviews, Guest. They're so mysterious, since you don't give yourself a name. Lol XD**

**storydream: Holy crap I love your review. It's reviews like yours that make me really wanna hunker down and write the next chapters as soon as possible...no. Really :)**

**everlastingtrueromance: Hi! You caught me just in time for the next chapter! Lol! Yes, I do enjoy Captain Swan a lot too, but this is a less cared for ship and I wanna fix it up, pun intended ;)**

**Okay, on with the story! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter seven: Seek~

* * *

Emma gulped.

After being found, she'd been forced to help Pan find the rest of the Lost Boys. So of course, in her anger, she was quick to reveal the little prick who wouldn't let her hide in the hollow of that tree with him earlier when they'd started this thing. The game lasted for all of twenty minutes (if that) and everyone now stood back in the clearing they had started in, waiting anxiously for...something. She didn't know what. But she was about to find out.

One of the boys spoke up.

"So who lost?" He asked, and Pan turned to him.

"Well," Pan began, placing his arms behind his back. "Since _Emma_ was the first to be found-" she glared at him. "That means that_ she_ lost."

The boys made a chorus of negative 'ooooh's, as one would do when someone was in trouble, and Emma looked around her warily.

"Wait, what does that mean?" She asked, confused and slightly worried.

"It means you have to do whatever the seeker says!" One of them piped up, and the boys snickered.

Emma's shoulders slumped.

_Great_. Now she was probably going to have to do chores, or rub some kid's dirty feet, or eat something funny. Or worse, jump into a river of cannibalistic _mermaids_ wearing nothing but her _underwear_ while they all stood and watched, laughing...Or something like that.

Sighing, she stepped forward to accept defeat. "Alright, what do I gotta do?"

Pan and the boys looked at her, as though she'd just said something ridiculously simple (or stupid, whichever) and laughed. Confused, she furrowed her eyebrows at them, standing dumbly in place.

"You big dummy!" One of them jeered. "You don't_ know_ when it's coming! You just have to do it whenever they ask! Hahahaha..."

They continued to chortle at her, and she angrily crossed her arms, huffing.

"So I won't even know when it's_ coming?_ I'm just supposed to _sit_ here and go about my day until they _spring_ it on me?!" She exclaimed, tossing a hand in the air.

Pan gradually stopped his laughter. "Well, that's the _fun_ of it, Emma! You'll have to deal with it when you least expect it."

She grumbled again, and, sensing her fun-_less_ attitude, Pan clapped his hands loudly to get the boys' attention.

"Alright, you've had your fun. Emma's not feeling quite so_ playful_ at the moment, so I'm going to take her back to the tree. You all go about your day."

The boys hooted and slowly disbanded, going in whichever direction they pleased to do _whatever_ they pleased, and Pan strolled over to Emma and lightly grabbed hold of her elbow.

She didn't budge.

"Well come on," he said, urging her forward.

She huffed indignantly and gave in, and he lead her back in the direction of Hangman's Tree.

* * *

Once inside, Emma walked over to the large wooden table and leaned against it, watching Pan as he stood in the doorway.

Most of her sour attitude from losing the game had gone, but it didn't mean she wasn't still angry. And as she stared at the teen in front of her, all _smug_ and _superior_, she couldn't deny the urge to just want to hurt him,_ badly._ With that _stupidly_ charming grin and his _wriggly_ eyebrows. It suddenly became _very_ annoying to her, and she simply couldn't help herself.

Holding her breath, Emma listened carefully for any sounds outside the tree that would suggest Felix or one of the others were out keeping watch for their beloved leader, finding no such evidence.

Satisfied, she launched herself off the table and stalked over to Pan, whose growing smirk only infuriated her more. Grabbing him by the shoulder, she wrenched him away from the tree's opening and roughly slammed him against the nearest wall, placing her arm at his throat.

"Alright, _listen_," she hissed, glaring holes into his skull. "I am _through_ with these _stupid_ little mind games."

Pan gazed at her, amused. "You know, no matter how hard you stare at me my skull's not going to burst into flames."

She shoved her arm farther against his throat. "_Shut up_. Now, I'm only gonna say this _once_, because that's _all_ I'm good for right now: if you think for one _second_ that I'm going to just _wait_ around for you to _jump_ me with some_ stupid_ dare, you're _wrong_."

"Oh, Emma," he said, and her arm bobbed up and down as he chuckled silently. "I would _never_ expect you to wait around like some _frightened rabbit_ for me to finally think of something _dastardly_ for you to do...But I must say, you don't beat around the bush."

He smiled down at her, and though his eyes were admiring, the laughing twinkle they held only made Emma angrier.

She pressed her arm harder against his throat. "_Look_._ You're_ going to tell me what you want me to do _right_ now, or you can bet your _Disney counterpart_ that I'm not giving you the time of day when you actually_ can_ think of something."

It was annoying and stupid, but she felt a sort of honor code in obeying the initial rules of the game she had played and lost, even though she hadn't been completely aware of them at the time. It was pretty juvenile and dumb, but she felt like she had to follow the rules. And the_ last_ thing she wanted was to have _Peter Pan_ griping to her about not being very honorable for being 'The Savior'. With any luck, he would laugh that annoying laugh of his and brush her off, and never mention it again. Of course, luck didn't seem to be on her side much lately.

Pan smirked, and it took a considerable amount of willpower to keep from choking the life out of him.

"So...you want me to give you the dare now?" He asked, his mouth twitching upwards as though he knew that either way he was going to get the last laugh.

Emma nodded, determined. "_Yes_."

A beat passed, and Pan looked her daringly in the eye.

"Kiss me."

* * *

**A/N: Yep, so I bet you know where _this_ is going *wink wink* lol. I'm sorry if this seemed kind of short, but I just had to end it here. It was just too perfect.  
**

**Anyway, thanks for staying with this story so far. It means the world to me, or in this case, all of Neverland :')  
**

**Go ahead and review and tell me what you think!  
**

**'Til next time!**


	8. EPE Kiss

**A/N: Wow, a lot of people reviewed that last chapter! Well, I didn't want to keep anyone waiting any longer, so I'm posting this now. It's...it's kinda...well. You'll see ;)**

**Keveryga2: Thanks for being the first to review chapter 7! I'm glad you liked it ;)**

**everlastingtrueromance: You're welcome ;)  
**

**CallMeCarrots: Wow, a double-review! Lol! Thanks a lot, bud! I appreciate your enthusiasm for this fic :)**

**SurfingBandit: Thanks a ton for your review! And as for the de-aging idea, someone else reviewed and suggested that, and I've planned to make that happen from the beginning, so fret not! For by the end of this story, Emma will be at a more suitable age for Pan :)**

**PemmaForever: I love your review. Short and to the point, while praising at the same time. Lol.**

**Guest: Hey! Another awesome review! I laughed so hard when I read yours for the last chapter that I had to show someone else, and then I read it again! Lol I hope this chapter is to your liking as well XD**

**storydream: Omg yes you did! I'm sorry for stopping it so soon, hopefully this chapter will make up for my cruelty D:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter eight: Kiss~

* * *

Emma's eyes widened, far beyond what should have been possible.

_Kiss_ him? Was he freaking_ kidding?_

"Are you freaking _kidding_ me?!" She shrieked, keeping her voice down.

Pan merely smirked. Her mind reeled.

No way.

_No._

Just...no.

Suddenly seeing the position she had him in - backed against a wall, arm pressed against his throat - in a whole new light, Emma jerked away, leaping back to stand a good several feet away from him.

She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt disgusting. And gross. And sick. It was ridiculous, because she hadn't done anything wrong to begin with, but she just couldn't shake the queasiness that was flooding into the pit of her stomach.

"You're sick..." she whispered, feeling sick herself.

Pan launched himself off the wall and brushed his clothes off, feet staying in the exact same place they had been since she'd had him pinned.

"Hardly, Emma," came his reply, and she clutched her stomach in fear of vomiting. "You asked what I wanted, and I told you. Now, are you going to honor it? Or not?"

She looked him directly in the eye then, her expression of fright and disgust suddenly morphing into one of anger and determination, and he began to feel a bit unsettled by the change.

He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't get the chance.

Without warning, Emma shoved him back against the wall, and suddenly, she was kissing him. Her hands fisted around the material of his shirt's collar and she grunted angrily as she pushed her lips against his, hard and unwavering. Pan, surprised as he was, had just barely started to open his mouth a bit farther when she stopped.

Emma pulled away, hands resting on the wall by either side of his head, breathing heavily as he did the same. He stared at her, eyes half-lidded and filled with pure and shameless want.

She glared at him. "Satisfied?"

Taking a breath, his hands shot out and gripped her hips, pulling her against him.

"Not quite."

* * *

Emma barely had time to widen her eyes before their lips collided again, and he didn't give her the chance to protest as he glided his lips insistently over hers, fingers weaving through her belt loops to pull her even closer than she already was.

He relished in the way she tasted; it wasn't quite cinnamon, but it was definitely spicy and in stark contrast to the way she smelled. Her kisses burned with a white-hot fire, but it was great and amazing and wonderful and _perfect_, and he wanted much, much more-

Pan detached his mouth from hers, taking the opportunity to pepper kisses along her neck as she gasped for air at having nearly suffocated, fingers tangled in his hair as she used him to help her stand. He was almost to her collarbone when her body suddenly tensed, and before he had time to comprehend what that meant, she shoved herself away from him.

And just like that, the moment was gone.

* * *

Emma breathed rapidly, scared and shocked at what she had just done, what she had_ let_ him do.

Tears sprung in her eyes. "My God...I'm a pedophile..." Her throat seized at the words that left her throat, and she felt as though she was going to throw up.

Pan casually pushed off the wall of the Hollow Tree, fixing his tussled hair and wrinkled shirt.

"I've been alive for over five hundred years," he said, flicking an invisible speck of dust off his shoulder. "If anyone's the pedophile, it's me."

Unfortunately, the casual tone with which he said this didn't make her feel any better.

Emma snapped her gaze to him, eyes hardening and mouth pursing in growing anger.

"This is your fault," she said accusingly, and Pan's eyebrows furrowed.

"_My_ fault?" He echoed.

Her jaw clenched. "Yes. _Your_ fault. You put something in that drink, didn't you? The one that would supposedly 'cure' my stomach problems?"

"I _may_ have forgot to mention that particular dose had something extra added to it," he admitted, and her stance relaxed slightly in relief. "But it doesn't make you do anything you don't already want to do," he finished, and her shoulders tensed up again.

Pan smirked, taking a step towards her. "Face it, Emma; you want me."

He stepped closer until he was mere inches away, and he bent down slightly to brush his lips against her neck, slowly moving upwards. "You've wanted me since the moment we met in those woods. And you know something, Savior?" He asked, nose brushing her ear.

"I want you, too."

Emma violently pushed him away, eyes wide with fear and terror.

She was shocked. She was disgusted. She was...she didn't even know what she was. She was terrified, for one thing. Not of Pan, but of herself.

If what he was saying was true, and the potion _had_ brought her inner-most desires to a conscious level, then what on God's green earth did that make _her?_ A sicko? A pervert? A weirdo? Was she so far gone mentally that she didn't even realize what she was? Had she always been this way? Did-

Wait.

She wasn't like this. She may have had a rough childhood, but by no means was she a freak. She'd always had her head screwed on straight, for the most part. There had to be a simple and logical explanation for this. And there was, she realized.

He was lying.

* * *

"Liar..." She breathed, looking at him with new-found malice.

Pan's eyebrows knitted. "_Excuse_ me?"

"You're lying," she repeated, convincing herself to feel better. "There's no _way_ I could be attracted to you. There's no way I could _ever_ be attracted to you! This isn't real...I'm not actually 'feeling' any of this..."

Pan's jaw clenched. "I'll have you know, miss _Swan_, that of all the encounters we've ever had, I have never - _ever_ \- lied to you. And if you were wise, you would do best to remember that."

"_What?!_" She suddenly blurted, too angry to stop herself. "You gotta be kidding me, right? How can you_ say_ that when you..._kidnap_ little kids a- and take them away to some far away place away from their _families_ for all eternity?! Away from their _mothers_ and _fathers_ and _friends_ and _family?_ How could you_ possibly_ look me in the eye and say you don't lie, _knowing_ that what you're doing is wrong?"

Emma breathed heavily, heaving as the passionate and overwhelming emotions she had been feeling not seconds ago slowly drained from her.

She stared at Pan, long and hard, and she could tell that the righteous glint in her eyes must have been making him sick. She watched, fear trying to make its way through her bloodstream as the boy's demeanor slowly changed into something far more sinister.

His eyes darkened. "Do you _honestly_ believe that they would have been better off with their 'families'? Is _that_ what you think?"

Emma widened her eyes at his sharp tone, but didn't dare back down.

"I think that kidnapping is wrong," she replied carefully.

Pan scoffed. "Ha! Tell that to Felix. Or_ any_ of the Lost Boys, for that matter. You call it kidnapping? _I_ call it salvation. The Twins? The ones who were fighting over you when we were having breakfast? They didn't even _have_ a mother. She was murdered right before their eyes. And Tootles? His father was a drunk. Nibs' father used to beat him. And Felix? His mother was a prostitute. Now, tell me; what kind of life is _that_ for a child? For _any_ child?"

His cold words cut her to the core, and she flinched as he stepped closer to glower at her.

"Don't you _dare_ tell me that they were 'better off' before they came here. I am not a liar. And I most _certainly_ don't steal away little children in the dead of night. You can try and tell yourself whatever you want to convince yourself otherwise, but in the end, _you're_ the one who's wrong."

She opened her mouth to reply, but timing wasn't on her side.

Felix chose that exact moment to stride into the room, a purpose in his step. He came to stand at the Tree's entrance, ignorant of the confrontation that had been taking place just seconds before.

Emma hastily blinked back her tears, the last thing she wanted being _him_ of all people to see her in a state of distress.

"What is it?" Pan asked, ignoring Emma completely.

"Tootles is stuck in a tree and refuses to come down," the teen replied, looking expectantly at his leader.

Pan sighed, annoyance in his breath. "_Again?_"

Felix nodded, and without so much as a word, turned and stalked out of the room, leading the way to poor and helpless Tootles. Pan didn't hesitate for a second as he moved to follow him, and Emma felt fresh tears sting at her eyes as he departed.

Not bothering to look at her, the eternal teenager angrily stalked out of the room, leaving the Savior broken, and her mind an absolute mess.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there it is. It was _really_ awkward writing that kissing scene, so I hope I did good enough for all of you pervs out there :P**

**I don't think any of the Lost Boys really had names in the OUAT version, soooo I just took them from the Disney cartoon XD  
**

**Anyway, the next chapter or so will be angsty and dramatic. Pan and especially Emma need time to sort out their feels before anything else romantic happens, don't you agree?**

**'Til next time!**


	9. E Ignore

**A/N: 10/15/2014**

**storydream: Ikr, that awkward moment when you think you've spotted a plot hole in a really awesome fanfiction? lol, good one! Thanks for the _super_ long review, those are some of my favorite kinds! X3**

**everlastingtrueromance: Oh, you. You're funny, lol XD But just so you know, I was joking about the bottom Author's Notes in the last chapter. I, personally, don't mind make-out scenes (I can handle those) but when it gets to lemons and weird stuff like that, well...let's just say I'll never breach that line in _my_ stories XD But thank you for your review, it's much appreciated! :)**

**silver tears85: You're welcome! It's the least I can do considering all the awesome reviews I've gotten!**

**Guest: I know what you mean! I've read plenty of fanfictions where the kissing scenes were either really good or just really funny. Depends on my mood at the time. Thanks for your review, I'm glad you liked my input on the Lost Boys' past :) And thanks! I had a totally magical day last Monday, actually! ^^**

**professionalemail101: You BET I will! How's this for ya?! (I ship Captain Swan too) :D**

**Celina R.C: Hey! Thanks for the review! I _love_ it when a hardcore reader from the beginning decides to make themselves known, and it brings virtual tears to my eyes to know that my story is one of the reasons you're still here on fanfiction. I just. I can't even. Ugh, my feels. lol :')**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter nine: Ignore~

* * *

That night, Emma cried herself to sleep.

_Again_.

It was getting tiresome, really, all this sobbing and getting her pillow soaking wet with tears and snot - even though it had only happened twice (so far). She sighed. _D__isgusting_. She was stronger than this. At least, she was supposed to be. She was the _Savior_, the _Hero_ \- she couldn't just up and quit!

But that was back when she had Henry, and she had no other _choice_ but to be strong, if only for him. He needed her, and she needed him. They drew strength from each other. Kept each other going.

But now she _didn't_ have him. And he didn't have her. She had no reason to be strong anymore. None whatsoever. She had lost, and now she was paying the price.

With nothing else to do, Emma stared dejectedly at the wall connected to her bunk, feeling utterly defeated. She thought of Pan.

It was all his fault. It really was. Who else was there to blame? _Herself?_ For being weak? For accepting his proposal? _Henry?_ For getting caught in the first place? And forcing her _make_ said deal? _Regina?_ for so eagerly accepting her decision? Instead of trying to find another way for her to be with her only son?

The answer was no one.

No one was to blame, except for Pan. Except for herself. After all, it was _he_ who-

Emma's eyes widened.

As she curled up into her covers and nestled herself into her bunk, body shaking with silent sniffles, she realized something with a sudden clarity.

Pan was winning.

He had _wanted_ to persuade her to let go, to become just as low and _disgusting_ as him, and she had let him. And if she gave up now, stopped fighting for all that she believed in and fought for, he _would_ win. He would _win_...

With this new-found knowledge came shock, silence, and stillness.

And then anger.

She had fallen right into his trap. Like the naive, lovesick little _fool_ she had been years ago; who she _thought_ she had left behind. Clenching her jaw, Emma settled herself more comfortably on the hard surface of her wooden bunk, staring determinedly at the blank swirls of bark in front of her.

He _expected_ her to lose.

That wasn't going to happen.

* * *

The next day, Emma pretended as though nothing had taken place between herself and Pan.

They ate breakfast, just like the day before - though it was hardly a banquet, now that she had been properly welcomed into their ranks as a Lost Girl - and Emma purposefully avoided the eyes of the deceptively older boy who had tried the entire morning to catch her gaze.

It irked him, she knew, that she wouldn't give him any attention, wouldn't let him search her eyes, her _soul_, if only he could find out what she was thinking. But she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing, of even _thinking_ for a second that he had won.

She finished eating with the group and ventured off into the woods to play another game (which thankfully _wasn't_ hide and seek) and trekked back to the Hollow Tree to spend the rest of her seemingly timeless day.

She didn't do much of _anything_, except lay around and stare at the ceiling and feel sorry for herself. But it hardly mattered. As long as his insides were _burning_ knowing he couldn't control her and never would, she would be fine.

She could do this.

* * *

Pan hadn't disturbed her for three whole days after that.

It was starting to go by like clockwork, really; she would get up, he would eat breakfast with them or already be gone doing something or other (entertaining his _shadow_ for all _she_ knew) and she would skip out on the games and playtime to clean up after the Boys and keep to herself.

It was kind of nice, actually.

She could put her motherly skills to good use, and therefore regain a sense of normality again. Even though the Lost Boys were _far_ from being Henry - not even _close_ \- they were still a group of unruly boys in need of a mother. Or at least a mother figure. And for the next three days, she was more than happy to comply.

Anything to keep her mind off _him _and that damned kiss.

* * *

**A/N: This will be a triple-post! Since all three of the chapters I have written up to that point are super short. How cool is that?! :D**

**I'm gonna post the next chapter tomorrow, and the next one the day after that, so you'll have _super_-fast opportunities to blow through the next two chapters ;)**

**In the meantime, go ahead and review if you want, or just wait until the next chapter(s). Whichever you prefer :D**

**'Til next time! (Well, tomorrow)**


	10. E Young

**A/N: 10/16/2014 This one's a shorty, but it needed to happen :P  
**

**Guest (storydream): Thanks again for the review! Yeah, these couple of chapters are pretty interactionless (sad to say) but don't worry. The next one will be longer and better, and we will come to understand Peter's thoughts on the situation and why he's leaving Emma alone thus far ;)**

**time-twilight: Good question! It'll actually happen (well, _start_ to happen) in this chapter! ;)**

**everlastingtrueromance: Lol okay. I just figured I'd clear that up, since there are a lot of people on the internet that aren't so...understanding? Not sure what word to put there, lol. And thanks! :D**

**beanche: Wow, a first-timer, huh? Well, I'm glad you like this, especially since it's your first encounter with a Pemma story! I'm glad you took the time to review, and I hope I don't let you down with the coming chapters! :D**

**Idk if anyone noticed, but I changed the kiss scene in chapter 8 a little. Nothing major, just toned it down a bit. My sister read through it and she said it was *ahem* 'too much', lol. And I kinda agree, I was kind of on auto-pilot when I wrote that chapter and I only read through it to proofread, not really to see how well the flow went or what I had actually _written_ or anything. lol.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter ten: Young~

* * *

She was able to keep her sanity for one more day before things started to get...well, weird.

Emma had been in the Hollow Tree, cleaning up the mess of crumbs and toys and knick knacks that the boys had left behind in their playfully destructive wake. She was on her hands and knees picking them up when she accidentally pushed a toy letter-block underneath one of the wooden beds. Stretching a hand below the bunk, she reached to get it back, her hand brushing against something that most definitely_ wasn't_ a child's plaything. Emma grabbed hold of it and pulled it towards her and out from under the bed.

A mirror.

Knitting her eyebrows in curiosity and confusion, she held it up to her face.

And dropped it.

She was just barely able to contain the scream that threatened to rip itself from her throat and bring the entire island of _Neverland_ down on her, viciously slapping a hand over her mouth. She scrambled away from the cursed object, trying to make sense of what she had seen - or what she _thought_ she had seen - and keep herself from hyperventilating.

After a few minutes of utter shock and heavy breathing, she gained the courage to crawl back over to the mirror and pick it back up, swallowing thickly as she turned it over in her hands and tilted it up to the ceiling, to her face.

Her eyes widened considerably at her reflection, at herself, but this time she didn't scream.

Instead, she observed herself, looking critically at the wrinkles and creases around her eyes and mouth and on her forehead; the wrinkles and creases that weren't _there._ She unconsciously touched her face, giving herself yet another once-over for probably the _thousandth_ time before accepting what she was seeing.

Her face, her eyes, her nose, her whole _head_ looked like that of a freshly sprouted woman. A _young_ woman.

She didn't look a day older than 24,_ if_ that.

Why was this happening? Was it some sort of trick? _Surely_ she wasn't any different than what she had been a mere few days ago. She felt perfectly fine. No different than any other day.

Maybe it had to do with a curse. Maybe an enchantment. Maybe it was fatigue. Maybe it was just a result of having been _doomed_ to stay in _Neverland_ for the rest of her days. But one thing was for certain.

She was getting younger.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter, anyone? ;)**

**This one and the previous chapter are really just fillers, which is why (in a way) they're so short. The next one is longer (as I said) and picks up the pace :)**

**And JUST so you know, Emma will continue to get gradually younger over the course of this story, stopping at age 17. Or maybe 18 or 19. Haven't decided yet. Do you have a specific age you'd like to see her at? 0.o**


	11. P Distractions

**A/N: 10/17/2014 **

**Sorry I didn't update this morning, internet was down all day :P**

**everlastingtrueromance: Heck yeah! :D**

**storydream: Yes, she is! Lol I'm glad I was able to surprise you with my deviousness :3**

**time-twilight: Cool, thanks for the input :)**

**silver tears85: Thanks! I love it too X3**

**Guest: Plot twist, mother- lol sorry you just reminded me of a funny youtube video with your review XD**

**MinhUsagi134: Thanks for the input! :D**

**beanche: That's good to know, and thanks for the input about Emma's age! :D**

**Guest/Guest/Anonymous: ...Are you all the same person? O.o lol I guess it doesn't matter. Thanks for the input! From the looks of things Emma will be 16 by the end of this fic! (though probably sooner) :D**

**I totally recommended screwing around with the options at the top of this fic. Press the A+ button a couple of times, then click the A and choose either Georgia or Palatino, and then click the little black/white circle (optional, but it really helps with the strain on your eyes). I've just recently begun messing with these options and it really makes it feel as though I'm reading a book ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time. Or One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss.**

* * *

Chapter eleven: Distractions~

* * *

Pan sat on a log outside the Hollow Tree, brooding as he kept his hard gaze on the woman who had been intent on avoiding him for the past four days;

_Emma Swan._

They sat - 'they' being him, Emma, and the Lost Boys - gathered round in a circle as Emma read an odd children's story that Tootles had asked her to read; something about red and blue fish, it was written by some doctor. It wasn't quite dark yet, but they had a fire going, and it crackled and snapped as the boys huddled closer around the Savior to better hear the story and see the pictures.

They were _surprisingly_ quiet.

Pan sat further back, away from the group and outside the circle, but still close enough to be included, and observed Emma and her excellent storytelling skills, however bizarre said story might be.

He pondered what he was going to do about her. About them.

She was attracted to him, of that much he was sure. And it would be a lie if she were to tell him otherwise. Just as it would be a lie if he were to tell her that he wasn't attracted to her. Plain and simple. That part was easy.

The hard part was that she was having trouble _admitting_ it.

_Obviously_, he scoffed to himself. _If she would just man up and come to grips with what she was so plainly feeling, then things _would_ be a lot easier._

But alas, they were not.

He wasn't sure what to do, really. He _wanted_ her to like him, to accept him for what he was, what they _both_ were, but that was wishful thinking at this point. ...He _could_ whip up a potion and have her forget everything up to their kiss, but then they would just be back to square one. He supposed he could also try his hand at a love potion - it shouldn't be that difficult when the subject was the _product_ of true love - but then his victory would be false, and he wasn't a liar. Especially not to himself.

In the end, he decided that the best thing to do now was to let her continue to have the space that she so 'desperately' and _obviously_ craved. But in the meantime, he needed a distraction. Something to take his mind off of the mystifying blonde and her infant-soothing voice. He was going to _nod off_ if he kept listening to that story, and he could already see that a few of the Lost Boys already had.

Getting up, Pan left the group around the campfire and slipped away, unnoticed.

He knew _exactly_ where he was going to go.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, mermaids were not actually very welcoming towards humans.

Luckily for Pan, he wasn't exactly a mortal.

He floated out to a large rock protruding from the water in a small alcove leading out to the sea, softly landing feet first on the smoothed grey surface. He waited.

The waves sloshed softly against the smaller, more jagged rocks outlining the shore, and the sound echoed throughout the alcove, drops of moisture dripping and falling to the sharp, jagged ground, the audible 'plops!' expanding tremendously due to the enclosed space.

And then it stopped, quieted, and became eerily silent.

A ripple.

Pan's eyes snapped to the movement in the water, slowly smirking as he sat himself down on the lone rock he was standing on.

Another ripple, some bubbles, and the waters parted as two heads, then three, four, appeared from the depths. The group of mermaids swam out to him, long hair floating majestically behind them, not afraid in the least as they came closer to shore and gracefully rested their dripping arms on the cold, hard surface of the mossy rock.

They smiled affectionately at him, and he smiled back.

Pan reached out an arm, and they were happy to oblige, grasping his hand and pulling him closer. It was nothing new; he would often come to see the mermaids when he was bored, or wanted special attention - he would come, sit down at the same spot every time, and they would find him, more than willing to smile at him, hum to him, hold his hands, lovingly stroke his hair. They practically came in_ droves._

He knew it was false; their affection merely stemmed from the fact that he wasn't human - not quite, not anymore; he had long since outlived that part of his life - and just so happened to rule all of Neverland. They knew he had power. Their very _existence_ relied on him. But when he was feeling down or lonely or whatever negative emotion that happened to be seizing him at the time, he was more than wiling to ignore this fact and accept their gracious offers.

This time, however, proved to be a special case.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there, letting his ears be pleased by quiet songs and his hands be held and his hair be petted - maybe a few minutes, maybe an hour - but it felt long; _far_ too long. Pan tried to relax himself as the dark-haired water maidens attempted to sooth his tense shoulders and taut nerves, but the more they tried the more he realized it wasn't going to work. And he knew why.

He wished it was Emma.

He wanted it to be _her_ holding his hand and singing into his ear and running her fingers through his hair, not some fish-like _mock_ of a woman whose only aim was to prolong her own _disgusting_ existence of luring drunken sailors to their doom.

One of the mermaids - the one holding his hand - caught whiff of something most unpleasant, her slender nose twitching repeatedly, and began sniffing like a_ dog_ up the length of his arm, and he knew; they could smell her. Smell Emma. The fish woman recoiled, as though to shield her nose from the unsavory smell, but still held his hand in a careful grip, though her lips curled in revulsion.

Pan clenched his teeth, feeling an angry heat flooding up the back of his neck and into his face.

This was ridiculous. He was supposed to be _relaxing_, getting his mind _off_ of the very woman whose face haunted the backs of his eyelids every time he dared to blink, _not_ thinking himself to death about her. And now, more than ever over the past four or five days she had been here (however long it had been) he wanted more than anything to be back at the Hollow Tree with her, to at _least_ have her look him in the eye.

It was stupid and childish, but it was true. This little excursion he had planned was getting him nowhere, _far_ faster than he would have liked to admit.

Gently pulling his wrist free from one of the mermaid's tender grasps, Pan voiced his disapproval and departure.

"I'm very sorry, ladies," he said, smiling uneasily to them. "but I'm afraid that this simply isn't working out."

Disappointed, the merwomen slowly and reluctantly drew back, slinking back down into the water as silent as nothingness, their never-ending lengths of hair blending into the water like black ink. They hesitantly turned around, water rippling out in slow, wide waves, as though expecting him to call them back.

But when he didn't, they swam out to the edge of the alcove and dove beneath the depths one by one, their black eyes and glistening second layer of eyelids disappearing out of sight as they threw him lasting looks. One of them even had the nerve to _glare_ at him, no doubt jealous of the mysterious new scent coming off him in waves.

No matter.

Pan exhaled, happy to have them gone. He was tired of their false love and synthetic affection. It was disgusting.

_Utterly revolting,_ he thought, staring into the dark waters.

Turning on his heel, he bounded off the now abandoned rock and disappeared into the brush.

He knew exactly what he had to do now.

* * *

**A/N: Can you _guess_ what Pan has to do now? *wiggles eyebrows* lol hopefully these three chapters can keep you guys sated until the next update :) **

**I really liked the mermaids in Peter Pan (the Disney version) and I was kind of disappointed that they weren't in OUAT (along with Tigerlily and the Indians) so I put them in here. Tigerlily will be mentioned, but not much else throughout the story. Like, no appearance or cameo or anything XD**

**Thoughts and reviews are always welcome, so don't hesitate to drop a review or guest review! They help me update faster! ;)**

**'Til the next time!**


	12. E Confliction

**A/N: 10/30/14 Whew! Sorry I took so long! I tried to update last Friday but I was travelling and I found out I left the batteries for my keyboard at home XD**

**But I've updated now and it's nice and long with lots of interesting bits, so hopefully you'll all forgive me! Lol :D**

**Thanks for the reviews from:**

**FangedMe**

**Everlastingtrueromance**

**Beanche**

**Time-Twilight**

**And Nixxy.**

**As for the reviews with questions:**

**MinhUsagi134: Not exactly. I'll explain why she's getting younger in a later chapter ;)**

**Storydream: Yep, you guessed it. Straight to Emma ;)**

**Felixlover: I've decided to de-age Emma until she's 16 :)**

**Reading time: about 15 mins.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter twelve: Confliction~

* * *

Emma tucked in Tootles, drawing the covers over his neck as he lay motionless (save for his breathing) on one of the hard wooden bunks in the Hollow Tree.

The others were all asleep, too, though over half of them were outside due to there not being enough beds. She wasn't sure if it was because she was such a good storyteller, or if she was just boring to listen to. Either way, she would have to read to them more often if it meant getting them into bed at a reasonable hour. And the quiet. The quiet was nice, too.

Emma stood up, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake any of the barely asleep boys.

She slowly backed away, eyes flitting to each of their faces, lingering for a moment on Felix; it was hard to tell if the older ones were asleep. Admiring her handiwork (or at least what she was going to credit herself as handiwork) she turned away and strode to the opposite end of the room, stopping at the wooden dresser that looked as though it were a hundred years old. It probably was.

She wouldn't call it snooping.

She was just...curious. From what she had seen, the Lost Boys only had one pair of clothes each. If that were the case, she'd definitely have a thing or two to say to Pan about it. Stubbornness be damned.

Emma peeked inside the top dresser drawer, surprised at what she found.

It was filled with clothes inside, all neatly packed, as though they had been that way for years. Maybe it really wasn't that the boys weren't properly cared for. Maybe they just didn't want to be. Bending down, she checked all the other drawers.

Same thing.

All clothes, clean and new, untouched for as long as they'd been there. Sighing, she placed her hands on her knees and stood up. Hey. No struggle. She could get used to this 'getting younger' thing. Suddenly, the hairs on her arms and neck stood on end.

Emma whirled around.

Pan.

* * *

He stood in the doorway, looking _less_ than pleased, and she opened and closed her mouth several times trying to find an explanation as to why she had all the dresser drawers open.

What was she supposed to say? 'Hey, sorry I was snooping through your stuff'? Unfortunately, she didn't get the chance to explain as Pan began stalking towards her.

Emma backed away a few steps, although silently, startled at his look of determination. She could see by his clenched jaw and pursed lips that, whatever it was he wanted to talk about, it wasn't going to be pretty. Still, she held her ground as he crossed the distance between them.

"I am so _tired_ of this," he muttered to himself, sounding deeply annoyed.

Emma didn't get a chance to respond as she was suddenly backed into the wall, and, before she could comprehend it, being kissed. So she guessed it _wasn't_ about the dresser drawers. Hands cupped her face and fingers found their way into her hair, and in all her shock she didn't really do anything except stand there. Pan placed his hands on either side of her neck, kissing along her jawline and heading downwards.

"That's better," he mumbled against her skin.

Emma shoved him away, having finally found her senses.

Remembering the sleeping boys, she lowered her voice to an angry whisper. "What the _hell_ are you doing?!"

"Kissing you," he replied easily, as though it were perfectly normal.

She pursed her lips to keep from yelling. "Are you _insane?!_ The kids are sleeping _right_ there!" She jutted her arm out to illustrate her point.

Pan didn't even look in their direction. "Well, I guess we'll have to keep quiet, then." He leaned in again to recapture her lips, and almost succeeded, but Emma put a hand on his chest and kept him at bay.

"I'm _serious! _We can't do this!_ I won't_ do this! Just because I _look_ younger doesn't mean I actually _am_."

Pan's eyes darkened. "Do you _really_ think this 'avoiding each other for the rest of eternity' thing is going to work out like some silly game?" When she said nothing, he went on. "I _honestly_ can't believe you thought that. Did you _really_ believe that I'd be able to stay away from you when we're around each other all day, every day, practically _breathing_ the same _air?_"

Emma fixed him with a glare. "_Yes,_ I _did_. I figured your 'eternal boy hormones' just needed a chance to die down a bit. God knows _that_ didn't work."

He scoffed, smirking. "Admit it, Emma. You want me just as much as I want you."

She wrinkled her nose. "Ew. _God_, no."

"Fine, then." He leaned in closer to her, despite the hand on his chest. "_Tell_ me it doesn't get you all 'flustered' when I do this." Without warning, he cupped her face and kissed her, slow and careful, pulling away before she had a chance to shove him back again.

Emma blinked rapidly, shaking her head to better clear her thoughts.

"Ugh, _yeah_, it gets me flustered! 'Cuz it's _weird!_" she retorted, covering her mouth when she realized how loud she was being.

Pan smirked at her. "I think we _both_ know that's not the case, Emma."

She said nothing in reply, but avoided his gaze in favor of the floor. He was right, that _wasn't_ the case, but it didn't mean she was about to admit it. The truth was, she was disgusted with herself - she shouldn't be having..._'feelings'_ for a seventeen-year-old! It wasn't natural! But then again, a cast of fairytale characters living in Maine wasn't natural, either. And neither was having parents that were a mere few years older than you. Or-

She shook her head.

This was _not_ helping.

Sensing her inner fight with herself, Pan smirked and crossed his arms in victory. "Face it, Emma." He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You _crave_ the attention."

Emma's stare snapped up to his, eyes hardening. "I think maybe _you_ crave the attention, but _I_ could _definitely_ do without it."

He shook his head, keeping his voice low. "So is _that_ why you cry yourself to sleep every night? Because you do 'so' well going it alone?"

Her eyes widened, the words cutting her. How did he...?

"And let's not forget your _other_ failed relationships," Pan went on. "Neal, was it? He's only Henry's _father_ and yet you pushed him away, lied to your own _son_ about who he was."

"_Stop_ it," she said firmly.

But Pan wasn't quite done yet. "You _acted_ as though you hated him, as though you could never have met a more _disgusting_ human being in your life. And then, when he _did_ come back, you practically _clung_ to him for dear _life_. Tell me _that_ doesn't sound desperate for attention?"

"Stop..." she pleaded, not looking at him.

"But let's not forget your most _recent_ flame! _Hook_. You _traipsed_ through these woods under the pretense of hoping to find your son, when really all you did was string him along like a mindless _puppet_-"

"I said STOP it!" Emma yelled, voice cutting through the air like a whip.

She immediately covered her mouth, eyes widened as her gaze darted over to the sleeping boys. Felix shifted in his bed, and Tootles mumbled something incoherent in his sleep. They must have been extremely tired not to wake up. Or maybe they were just used to the noise.

Pan stared at her, waiting for her to say more. Unfortunately, there wasn't really anything more to say.

"Just...stop it..." she said again, her voice a defeated whisper.

"Why?" Pan challenged. "Because you know its_ true?_"

Anger flared up in her. Did he really just-

"I can't read your mind, Emma," he said. "But I do know that if it weren't for _me?_ You _never_ would have found your son. Think about _that_ the next time you decide to blame everything on me."

Without another word, Pan stalked out of the room, leaving the Hollow Tree and going off into the night to who knew where. Emma was glad for it. In fact, she couldn't have felt more relieved if Henry showed up right now. She sighed. This was a mistake. It all was.

She was only kidding herself.

She could never stay here, least of all with _him_, for all eternity trying to fend off something that was either bound to happen or could never be.

Emma sunk to the ground, resting her head on her knees.

* * *

She sat there for hours, or at least what felt like hours.

Emma sighed, thinking about what she'd give to be stuck with the _Disney_ version of Pan and the Lost Boys right now. It would be a different story then. But then again, Disney Pan would never have kidnapped Henry in the first place, so...

Suddenly, the topic of Pan and Disney made her think of something else.

If Pan could leave the island, certainly _she_ could.

She'd had this thought before, near the beginning of her stay (though she wasn't sure _when_ exactly, time was so hard to tell here) but she had brushed it off as impossible.

_No_, she decided.

Not impossible. Just improbable.

She'd just been so preoccupied with..._things_ while in Neverland, she'd kind of put that idea on the backburner. But now, having had all her faults thrown in her face, hurt and humiliated, the idea seemed less and less preposterous.

How did the kids escape in the Disney version? Something about pixie dust? A star?

Emma rubbed her eyes. _Ugh, this was exhausting._

...You know what? She was so mad right now, it didn't really matter. She didn't need a plan, or a map, or pixie dust. She was going to leave. And that was that.

Getting up, Emma straightening herself, blinked the tears from her eyes, and walked to the edge of the doorway. She looked out into the blackness, none too sure of where she'd go, but in her current state of mind, anywhere was fine with her. As long as she didn't have to be around _him._

Without giving it any more thought, she glanced one last time at the sleeping Lost Boys before steeling her legs and bursting into a run. When she thought about it, she was doing what she did best.

Running.

* * *

Her boots crunched against thousands of fallen leaves as she rushed through the forest, not really caring if anyone heard her or not; with how fast _she_ was running, she'd be long gone by then anyway.

She wasn't sure how long she ran for, but she had no doubt that she had her de-aged body to thank for it. At least there was one thing she could thank this place for. Eventually she came to a break in the trees, and she realized with startling certainty where she was.

The beach.

Had she really run that far? Or was she closer to the edge of the island than she'd thought? Emma looked out over the ocean, leaning on her knees to try and catch her breath.

This was it. She could either swim to the edge of the sea and hope that Neverland was just one giant cube and she'd fall back to Storybrooke, or stay here and be miserable for the rest of her life. Besides, it couldn't be that far. Hook could leave, so why couldn't she?

_Hook had a flying boat_, her brain reminded her.

Ignoring her common sense, Emma stepped further onto the beach, sand gliding against her boots as she made her way to the shoreline.

This was it. All or nothing.

Unfortunately for Emma, she hadn't brought supernatural elements into her equation. Before she could even get _close_ to the water, she was suddenly hit with a strong sense of terror and dread and the air around her grew tense and the clouds dark. She froze, hardly prepared for what was happening.

Panicking, Emma backed up a few steps, the buildup of the sand around her shoes causing her to nearly fall backwards, as the source of the bad feelings and even worse weather made itself known.

She looked up, eyes widening in fear.

It was Pan's Shadow.

* * *

**A/N: Quite the twist, no? :D**

**I gotta say, when I found out Marilyn Manson did the voice for Pan's Shadow, I was like, O_O But I think he did a good job. Did you know he wanted to play Willy Wonka in the Johnny Depp remake but they turned him down? I can only imagine how different it would be had they gone the other way in an alternate universe.**

**Reviews, views, follows, faves; they're all loved here! :)**

**'Til next time!**


	13. E Reason

**A/N: Quick update, no? :D**

**I was going to wait a little while before I wrote/posted this so I could get into the Shadow's character, but eh, I was feeling ready to write XD**

**Thank you to:**

**silver tears85**

**storydream**

**And everlastingtrueromance**

**For reviewing the last chapter. They all made me lol! :)**

**I changed some stuff around in the last chapter, just some typos and hiccups in the flow. You know. Stuff.**

**Anywho, buckle up, buds, 'cuz this is a long one! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter thirteen: Reason~

* * *

Emma stood stock-still, not daring to move a muscle, not even her lungs.

The Shadow hovered above her, its gleaming eyes boring down at her as it floated in the now stale air, the darkness making up its body wisping outwards into nothingness, yet somehow staying put.

Her heartbeat stilled.

The very _ocean_ seemed to still at its presence.

If only she had her sword...

The Shadow spoke. "What do you think you're doing?"

Its voice, so masculine yet so indiscernible, rumbled through the air and into her ears. It was like gravel and stone and the screeching whispers of ghosts all at the same time. It made her skin crawl.

Finally mustering her bravery, Emma swallowed down the lump of cowardice in her throat and answered. "I'm _leaving_."

The Shadow was quick to reply. "You can't leave."

Yeah. No shit.

"You made a _deal_," it continued. "You gave your _word_. If you try to leave, you're _breaking the rules_."

Emma exhaled hotly, breath coming out in a puff of white. She hadn't realized just how much the temperature had dropped. "I don't care. I _can't_ stay here anymore. I can't stay with _him._ I _have_ to leave."

"Why?" It asked, transparent body swaying as it circled closer.

She pursed her lips. "Because I didn't know it was going to _be_ like this! I expected..." she huffed, frustrated at being unable to find the right words. "Ugh, I don't know _what_ I expected. But it wasn't this. And I am _not_ about to let some see-through fairytale creature stop me from getting what I want."

In a burst of confidence, she took a step forward and attempted to pass the figure, only to come face to face with dark thing once again.

"If you leave," it said, voice thick as poisoned honey. "He will know. He'll come for you, destroy whoever stands in his way, and take you back. Here. To Neverland. _Forever_."

She jutted her chin up defiantly. "So there _is_ a way off the island."

The Shadow floated away, turning to face the quieted ocean. "There is no escape. The only way is through _him_. You can not leave without his consent."

Pursing her lips, Emma decided to try a different tactic. "You've been here the longest. You've _seen_ how he is. You can't honestly expect me to go _back_ to him!"

The Shadow turned its attention back to the Savior, glowing eyes fixed on hers as it flew forward to stop in front of her, the wisps of its body temporarily encircling her with the movement. "I have nothing to do with your feelings or your escape. Only the whims of Pan."

Emma scoffed, gaping at the faceless creature. "_'Feelings'?!_ You've _got_ to be kidding me! I have been held _captive_ for...God _knows_ how long! And you're talking to me about _feelings?_"

"I am one with all that set foot on this island," it replied, voice devoid of emotion. "I feel what the inhabitants feel. And _you_..." Without warning, the Shadow suddenly reached out and placed a hand over her heart, the fabric of her shirt pressing down ever so slightly with the ghost of movement. "Feel for him."

Emma widened her eyes, shocked and terrified at what it had just told her, had practically _admitted_ for her. That couldn't possibly be true! There was no way. It had been _too_ heart-wrenching to leave her son and _too_ small of a timeframe for her to suddenly develop Stockholm Syndrome. He-_ it_, worked for Pan. It _had_ to be lying.

"You're lying," she whispered, heart speeding up.

Unblinking eyes pierced hers. "Your heart says otherwise."

Panicking, she swatted at the hand on her pulse, arm cutting through the ghostly limb like fog, and backed away until she fell backwards into the sand in her clumsiness. She scrambled away, hands sending the pale grains everywhere as she attempted to get away from the thing. From the truth.

The Shadow crept toward her, stopping to hover a few feet away, gazing down at her.

"You cannot leave," it said. "But you _can_ accept what you have come to feel. Return to him, and I will have no reason to make mention of this to Pan."

Emma breathed in quick bursts, willing herself to calm down.

Wow. She was being blackmailed by a shadow. And a cheeky one, at that.

Blinking several times, she slowly brushed some of the sand off her clothes and stood up, fear leaving her as she stood at eye level with the dark creature. Her heart pounded.

"What about my parents? What about _Henry?_ Do you _really_ think I can go on the rest of my life without wanting to see my son again?"

"You made the deal," it said, and she lowered her eyes in contempt. "You considered all these things and _still_ you chose Pan...just as he chose you."

Her eyes lifted, staring into the two yellow orbs that hovered mere inches from hers. Chose her?

"What do you mean?" she asked, brows knitting. "Are you saying that the only reason I'm here is because of some _stupid_ infatuation of his? Is _that_ it?"

The Shadow waited a moment to reply, neither its weightless body or emotionless eyes lending to her suspicions.

"...No," it said finally, and for some odd reason, Emma felt relieved. She ignored it. "The reason you are here is because you made a _deal_. A deal that can't be broken..._if_ you care about your son."

"So what is it, then?" she asked, persistent. "Is this all just some sort of sick _game_ that I've been dragged into? Or does he-" she stopped herself from finishing the sentence.

_Does he really care about me?_

"Pan has done much to accommodate your stay here. _Far_ more than he has done for anyone else," the Shadow said, gliding upwards into the sky. "His feelings are genuine. The only question that remains is..." It came to a stop far above her head, looking down at her.

"Are yours?"

Emma watched, craning her neck, as the dark figure dissipated, fading into nothingness.

Suddenly, as though one were hitting the 'play' button on a remote, the ocean resumed its crashing waves and the wind picked back up, and the sky lightened back to its natural blue.

She looked down at the sand, at her boots, thinking about what had just happened.

What _had_ happened? What did that just accomplish?

Okay, okay, _facts_ \- 1. She was in this mess because of her own damn self, not because of Pan or anyone else. 2. She _obviously_ hadn't thought everything through when she'd accepted that damned deal. 3. Said deal couldn't be broken, or Henry would get hurt. 4. She...'_liked'_, Pan. And 5...Pan liked her.

_Okay, so what's the problem?_ she asked herself.

The problem was that she wasn't happy here. Neverland _sucked_. Not like the movies at all. And what was _more_, she couldn't actually _do_ anything about it because she had agreed to stay there, except maybe come to terms with her predicament and accept her fate.

But that wasn't the real dilemma. Not anymore.

It was Pan. What was she supposed to do about him? His Shadow was gone, so maybe she could still try to escape his clutches and keep Henry safe like some fairytale hero..._or_...maybe she could go back. With a clear head, this time. And maybe she could learn to live with him. Like him, love him, whatever.

...Ugh, but it was just so _weird!_ She couldn't _possibly_ fall in love with a 500-year-old teenager! That was gross and strange and unnatural and..._weird!_

...But at the same time, she'd passed 'weird' when Henry's storybook ended up being true. When she found out her parents were hardly older than she was. When Gold ended up being her father-in-law...

Yes. She had passed 'weird' a long time ago.

Emma sighed, looking out over the ocean.

It was all just so crazy. How could someone like _Peter Pan_ be interested in her? It wasn't like she was pretty or anything. If he had liked Belle or Regina...or shoot, even her mother, it would make more sense. But no. He decided to set his sights on her. For what reason, she wasn't sure.

_You've got fire._

She stared hard over the edge of the sea, where the sun would soon meet the horizon.

_I like fire..._

Emma shook her head, trying not to think of his words.

She failed miserably.

Was _that_ it? He liked her attitude? Her gung-ho, I-can-handle-anything inner flame? Was that all? Or was it just what had attracted him to her in the first place? There was no way he could care about her like _that._ But Pan's Shadow had said...

She sighed, turning away from the sea and facing the blackened forest behind her. She stared, expecting to see Pan or Felix or even the Shadow pop out from the brush, only to have nothing happen.

Emma sighed again, long and irritated, hating herself for what she was about to _willingly_ do.

Swinging on her heel, she turned around and trudged back into the woods, determined to make her way back to the Hollow Tree.

She was doing it.

She could never have seen herself doing it before, but here she was, going back to Pan. She just hoped his Shadow would keep his word. She hoped Henry was safe. She hoped her parents knew she loved them. She hoped Regina and Belle and Gold were doing okay.

Emma abruptly stopped, eyes resting upon a barely visible but very large tree that she was _sure_ she had never seen before, realizing she had no idea where she was.

She hoped she could find her way _back_ alright.

* * *

**A/N: Angry running _can_ get a person lost, don't you agree? :P**

**Anyway, I hope you liked this. It turned out being MUCH longer than intended, but oh well. I hope the Shadow's dialog was believable enough, that was my main dilemma in writing this.**

**After going over my plot map, I estimate that we have about 8 or 9 more chapters before this story is finished! Excited? Disappointed? Yeah, I'm not sure either :/**

**'Til next time!**


	14. EPPE Simmer

**A/N: 11/4/2014 Whoo! I'm back again! Can you believe it? Two updates so close to each other? No WAY, right? :D**

**Anyway, this is a double-post. So this chapter and the next are technically the same chapter but split :)**

**Reading time: 15-20 mins.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter fourteen: Simmer~

* * *

Thankfully, Emma was able to make her way back to the Hollow Tree.

After stumbling around in the dark for a good twenty minutes, trying to go in a straight line but failing thanks to whoever decided to put something as ridiculous as _trees_ in the way, _and_ almost giving up on her journey altogether, she came across the light of a dying fire - the campfire she had been reading by to the Lost Boys only a few hours ago - and she thanked God for the sight. Hopefully she'd be able to go back inside, go to bed, and act like she _hadn't_ just tried to ditch the whole damned island.

Emma crept up to the Hollow Tree and made her way around to the doorway.

She entered slowly, careful not to make too much noise, and snuck over to her bunk. Pan wasn't there yet. Perfect. She took off her boots, placed them neatly by her bed, and was about to peel the covers back when a hand suddenly shot out to stop her. Freezing, Emma turned to face the limb's owner, coming face to face with-

"Where did you go, Emma?" Tootles asked innocently, rubbing his eyes.

Emma stared at him, mouth agape, and glanced behind him to see that the covers of his bunk where disheveled. How long had he been up?

"Uh...nowhere," she replied, blinking quickly once, twice, three times.

"Were you trying to leave?"

_Crap_.

Emma stared at him, opening and closing her mouth several times, words failing her.

The Shadow had been right.

She couldn't leave; how _could_ she? When there were little boys like Tootles in desperate need of a mother? How could she be so selfish as to try and leave without so much as a word? Without even saying _goodbye?_ She would be no better than-

When the boy gave her a wary look, Emma smiled comfortingly at him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Look, little guy, I just needed to get some air. I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?" He asked, a fearful look in his eyes.

She gave a lopsided smile, sighing. "Yeah. I Promise."

She stood up and ushered him over to his bunk.

"Now let's get you back to bed."

* * *

Pan sat lazily on one of the higher branches of a tree, legs sprawled out, back resting against the trunk, overlooking the ocean that separated Neverland from the rest of the world.

He had come there in hopes of taking his mind off _her_, but he was coming to realize that was practically _impossible_ now. She invaded every facet of his life; his thoughts, his feelings, his personal business, his _serious_ business...heck, he couldn't even _eat_ without thinking about her! It was ridiculous, and he knew it. One man shouldn't be so distracted by a single woman. It was downright embarrassing, actually - he had ruled Neverland for over 500 years, and _never_, in all that time, had he been so distracted by a woman. Not even Wendy had done that to him.

_Shameful_, he thought to himself, bringing a hand up to rest his chin against.

Emma had managed to disarm him in a matter of days where others had tried years.

Shameful, indeed.

* * *

After staring out into the ocean and venting his anger to no one but himself for an hour, Pan decided to head back to the Hollow Tree.

He wasn't mad at Emma anymore; quite the opposite, in fact. He just wished that it was so much simpler; no Regina, no family drama, no _Henry_...

No. He didn't mean that.

Henry was a good kid.

And if it weren't for him, he never would have met Emma in the first place...probably. Pan floated down from his spot in the tree he occupied, descending among the branches and coming to a stop on the forest floor, his feet gently crunching the fallen leaves.

He walked for a while, feeling no rush whatsoever to get back to the Hollow Tree.

He thought of Emma, of what he was going to do to try and make her happy. Really, what _was_ there to do? She didn't like him, didn't love him. Didn't want anything to _do_ with him, really. So what chance did he have?

He'd presented the deal of saving Henry and replacing him in his stead to her in hopes that she'd take the bait, but if he were being perfectly honest with himself he hadn't actually expected her to _take_ it. It was meant more as a teasing thing. So he didn't really know where to go with it when she accepted. He was at a loss, and had mostly just been making things up as he went along since that point, running on fumes, so to speak.

..._Ugh_, it was all just so _frustrating!_

He'd wanted her since the _moment_ he'd laid eyes on her, but now that she'd stayed he couldn't even _have_ her! It was ridiculous! Granted, his initial desires had been a bit immature on his part - he'd originally just been drawn to her flame, that inner fire she tried so well to dim - but over time, as he watched her search for her son and swat away Hook and Regina and her parents and that other bumbling idiot, he became more interested in other things about her. What did she think? How did she feel? What would she say? Do? Want? Like? Hate? And why?

And just like that, creeping in like a subtle spider in the back of his mind, Emma Swan had unknowingly weaved a way into his head, heart, and soul.

And he couldn't even have her.

Well, he _could_, but he couldn't. Not if he wanted it to be genuine. It would take time, he knew - something he had plenty of (all eternity, in fact) - but he feared that he wouldn't be able to be patient enough to wait until then. And he was a patient person. After all, he had waited over 20 years for Henry to show up. He just hadn't been counting on his beautiful, blonde, Savior of a mother to show up too...

Pan's musings were cut short when he came up to the large trunk that made up the Hollow Tree. He heard movement. Voices. Keeping quiet, he moved around the tree and peeked around at one of the glassless windows, peering inside.

Emma. And Tootles.

He listened.

"Where'd you go, Emma?"

_Go?_ Had she tried to leave? He strained his ears to listen more.

"Uh...nowhere."

"Were you trying to leave?"

Silence met the boy's question. Pan's lips pursed. So she _had_ tried to leave.

"Look, little guy, I just needed to get some air. I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?"

Pan listened hard, ears pricking to try and pick up her coming reply.

"...Yeah. I promise."

Pan watched as she led the boy back over to his bunk and put him to bed. Anger flared in his chest. How _dare_ she try to leave? They made a _deal_, and she accepted. How dare she try and back out now? She may have been the Savior, but by _no_ means was she an escape artist.

And he had every intention of reminding her of that.

* * *

Emma smiled down at Tootles, stroking his soft little head as she tucked him in.

He was so cute. He reminded her of Henry. The Henry she never got to see growing up. Her heart tugged at the thought, but she brushed it off in favor of the moment currently presented to her. It was too precious to waste feeling sorry for lost time.

She stood up, smiling contently at the little boy feigning sleep. She turned around to get into her own bed, only to be met with the most menacing look she had ever seen. Her heart stopped.

Pan stood in the doorway.

And he _wasn't_ pleased.

* * *

**A/N: Go ahead and click for the next part! :D**


	15. E Changes

**A/N: 11/4/2014 Part 2! :D**

**Reading time: 15 mins**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter fifteen: Changes~

* * *

Emma watched, frozen as Pan began marching towards her. Tootles, still awake, sat up at the sound of his footsteps.

"What's going on?" He asked sleepily.

Pan beat Emma to the punch. "Nothing, Tootles. Go back to sleep."

Before the boy could reply, Pan reached into one of the pouches on his belt and threw a fistful of golden dust into his face. Tootle's head hit the pillow almost immediately, and Emma's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at what had just happened in front of her.

"What the hell did you just _do?!_" She shrieked, moving to Tootles.

Pan grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "It's just some pixie dust infused with a sleeping spell. Now _calm down_."

The firmness in his grip stilled her movements, and the sternness in his voice put her on edge. She was hoping he'd be calmed down by now. After all, _she_ was. But she guessed she was wrong. Like she was about so many other things in her life.

"Now," Pan said, tugging on her arm and staring down at her. "What _exactly_ is this topic I overheard of _leaving_ all about?"

Emma gulped, jerking her wrist from his hold. "Nothing! It's _nothing._" At his arched eyebrow and unbelieving look, she decided to elaborate a bit. "I mean...I- I was _gonna_, but...I'm not now. We made a _deal_, and...and I'm not going anywhere."

Pan squinted his eyes at her, stepping closer to peer into her own, as though he were trying to detect a lie. He must have found what he was looking for, because he suddenly lifted both eyebrows and looked down at the ground, sighing as he turned away.

"I thought as much..." He muttered.

Emma swallowed again, shifting her weight to the other foot as she twiddled her thumbs. "So...am I off the hook?"

He turned around then, a smug smirk gracing his features.

"...Not quite."

Ugh, why had she even bothered _asking?_

"Well, then, what are-" She was cut from her sentence as a sudden pain jolted through her body, and she was barely able to muffle a scream as she fell to her knees.

"_Aaagh!_"

Pan immediately kneeled by her side, and if she had been staring at him and not at the floor, she would have seen the look of concern in his eyes. He called her name, frantic.

"Emma?! Emma, what's wrong? _Emma!_"

But she couldn't answer. It was the strangest pain she'd ever felt; sharp and dull and everywhere but nowhere, and her head ached and tingled and everything in her body felt like it was being subjected to pins and needles, and her skin itched and felt too small and not big enough yet somehow the perfect fit for her inflamed muscles.

Hands rested on her shoulders, trying to ease the pain, to help, but it was all she could do to keep from screaming, from telling him to _stop_ that, that it _wasn't_ helping, that it _hurt_.

This horrible experience went on for about a minute - kneeling on the floor in tingles and itches and aches and muscle spasms with Pan by her side - and when it was over, Emma slumped over in relief.

That was worse than giving birth. By _far_.

Emma breathed as though she had just run a _marathon_, closing her eyes as she lay on the floor. Tiredly, she lifted a hand to her face with the intention of brushing a strand of hair out of her face, freezing when her fingers touched her forehead, her nose, her cheek. The skin there was so much _softer_ now... Pan's voice broke her out of her shock.

"Emma, get up."

She obeyed, but apparently the movement was too slow for him, because her grabbed hold of her shoulders and heaved her up into a sitting position.

He peered at her face intently, eyes widening for a fraction of a second.

She swallowed, eyes widening herself. "...What?"

Pan said nothing, merely breaking his gaze from hers and looking around him, as though he were searching for something. Finally, he shoved an arm under one of the bunks and withdrew with the object he desired in hand.

A mirror.

"It's best if you just have a look for yourself," he said, and she took the mirror.

Emma raised it to stare at her reflection, and her jaw dropped when she caught sight of herself.

She was so..._young_.

She was...well, she couldn't have older than sixteen! She couldn't...how could...why...

Emma dropped the mirror, clattering it to the floor with more noise than she would have liked, and tried to control her breathing.

Her hands shook.

How young was she going to _get?!_ Was she going to stop at 16? 15? 14? Was she going to whither away into _nothing?!_

"Oh, God...oh, God, I'm panicking..."

Pan put a hand on her shoulder. "I can assure you, Emma, this is no time to panic."

She hissed at him. "This is the _perfect_ time to panic! _I'm_ getting _younger!_"

"Yes, well, you _are_ in Neverland," he said, a hint of laughter in his voice.

"But I can't get _younger!_ I have a _kid!_ I have...oh, my God...I can't...I'm...ah, I need a paper bag..."

Pan stood up, looking down at her as she had her little panic attack.

"It's perfectly normal, Emma. As I'm sure you know, you cannot _stay_ in Neverland unless you are a child. And since you're not, but made a deal with me to stay _anyway_, the island had no choice but to change you back into one."

Emma tried to pay attention.

Normal, Neverland, child, deal, change...she mostly got it. And even if she didn't, she was sure he wouldn't mind explaining again, if only to gloat his small victory over her, however unintentional.

The island _itself_ was doing this? Not Pan? Not the Shadow? Not even Felix?!

"So the only thing I have to blame my problems on is a mound of _dirt?_" She asked sarcastically, breathing heavily.

Pan shrugged. "Pretty much."

She scoffed.

He offered her a hand, and she took it, thankful to be hauled up to her feet rather than have to try and stand on her own (and potentially embarrass herself). She gave a lopsided smile of appreciation before moving to take her hand away, but Pan held firm.

"If it makes you feel any better, Emma," he said, eyes genuine. "_I_ think you look-"

"Dorky?" She finished, half-smile, brows raised.

He leaned in and gave her a quick, sudden kiss on the lips.

"_Gorgeous_."

With a smirk, he moved past her and climbed into his bunk as Emma blinked rapidly, still recovering from the kiss. Dazedly, she turned around, slowly making her way to her own bunk, cursing herself that it was just below his, and got in.

Emma curled up in her covers, and as Pan snapped his fingers and the oil lamps magically went out, she allowed herself to smile like a lovesick idiot.

She spent the rest of the night with a sense of euphoria and a flushed face.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it, folks. Emma is finally 16, and we now know why she got younger.**

**I hope these two chapters were satisfactory, but don't hesitate to let me know if they weren't. Writing is a learning experience, and I could certainly learn from some reviews :)**

**'Til next time!**


	16. E Adjusting

**A/N: 11/16/2014 OMG it feels like FOREVER since I've updated! I'm sorry! D:**

**This was like, the HARDEST chapter to write so far, I swear it nearly killed me. I knew where I wanted to go, I just didn't know how to get there. But it's done now, and it is LOOOONG. So please enjoy this while I get to work on the other chapters :)**

**Thank you to:**

**Guest**

**storydream: No, Emma will not break her promise to Tootles about never leaving. Voluntarily, anyway. I guess technically she does, but not by choice. You'll see ;)**

**everlastingtrueromance**

**Guest(DopeyEyedUnicorn345)**

**the white wolf Haruka**

**MinhUsagi134:**** I'm glad Emma is relatable as a 16 year old, though it was kind of accidental. I can't decide whether to make her more immature or not, considering she's younger now :P**

**silver tears85:**** Thanks for your review, and no, I don't plan on Emma being able to use magic. Regina was supposed to teach her that, and since she hasn't gotten the chance to because Emma cut off their canon adventure so early, she'll just be plain ol' Emma. It's a great idea, though, and I may use it for any other Pemma stories I can think of :)**

**Reading time: 15-20 mins.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter sixteen: Adjusting~

* * *

Emma awoke, eyes slowly fluttering open.

She softly groaned, not wanting to get up just yet. Her muscles were sore, but didn't ache - it was the kind of feeling one would get after taking a nice long nap after a workout. Which was funny, because she was almost _certain_ she hadn't done anything of the sort yesterday...oh, well.

Emma nestled herself within her covers, curling up and breathing in the woody smell of the Hollow Tree.

...Wait.

Memories of the night before flooded back to her with the force of a tidal wave, and her eyes snapped open, shooting up from her bed.

The cold chill of morning and the goosebumps that rose on her arms from the contracting skin went unnoticed as she remembered what had happened. The fight with Pan, her running away, tucking in Tootles, the pain, getting younger, Pan kissing her..._getting younger._

Reaching down, Emma fished out the mirror beneath her bed and hastily held it up to her face.

Yep. She was younger, alright. No more than sixteen, it looked like.

Wait, so if she was younger, then...

Emma stood up from her bunk, looking up at the one above hers.

Empty.

She looked around at all the other bunks - they were empty, too. How long had she slept?

"De-aging can take a lot out of a person."

Emma spun around.

It was Felix.

"Not that I would know. I've been seventeen all my life. Well...most of it."

"What do you want, Felix?" Emma asked warily, all too aware of the fact that they were the only two in the room.

Felix's smile twisted into a scowl. "Pan told me to tell you when you woke up that he'd be gone for most of the day. Though it hardly matters, considering the day's _half over_."

Emma blinked, knitting her brows. _Gone?_ As in 'away', or as in 'not in Neverland'?

"Oh...well...thank you, for telling me."

Felix sneered. "Don't be. I was ordered to." He turned on his heel to leave, stopping briefly to glance back at her. "...Breakfast was four hours ago, but Tootles and Nibs saved you some."

And with that, he left, stalking out into the sun that was much too bright for Emma's sensitive eyes, and she was left alone.

With nothing else to do, she gathered her sheets and made her bed, fixed her hair, and walked out in hopes of getting some food into her very empty stomach.

* * *

Apparently, Tootles and Nibs' idea of 'saving food' was a half empty glass of coconut milk, a handful of berries, a pancake with a tiny bite taken out of it, and a cinnamon stick.

Emma smiled at the 'meal' that had been saved for her. Sure, it wasn't much, but to her, it was as great as getting bed in breakfast on a spontaneous day from your beautiful children. Children...

She sighed, remembering Henry.

It had only been a week, but already it seemed like a lifetime ago since she had seen him. Her beautiful, wonderful, amazing son. And here she was, sixteen and staying with Peter Pan and the_ Lost Boys,_ having completely forgotten about him. What kind of mother was she? Was she going to just forget about him, about her parents, about her life altogether now that she had gotten younger?

_They all forget eventually..._

Emma shook her head, freeing herself from Pan's foreboding words.

She sat down on one of the tree stumps, intent on enjoying her food, and dug into her meal.

* * *

It was nearly seven hours later when Pan showed back up.

Emma was in the Hollow Tree with Nibs, Tootles, and the Twins, teaching them how to play Uno (which she had found in one of the dresser drawers while putting their things away) when Felix walked in, followed by Peter, who was carrying a large bundle in his arms.

Emma looked up, pausing as she dealt her wild card, and smiled.

Pan returned her smile, but Felix stepped in front of him, severing their silent means of communication. "Alright, Pan wants to talk to _Emma_," he said her name reluctantly, as though it were the hardest thing in the world. "So get out until he's done."

A chorus of whines and protests filled the room, and Emma smiled to console them. "You heard him, guys. Time to get out."

"But what about the game?" the Twins asked.

"Uh, we'll finish the game later. And NO cheating!"

Nibs pouted. "Aww!"

The Lost Boys slowly left their places at the table and joined Felix, who smirked down at them playfully, a hint of affection in his eyes, and a small pang of jealousy shot through Emma. She ignored it.

"Okay," Felix said, smiling. "Who wants to catch some fireflies?"

Eyes lit up like Christmas trees all around him, and he was met with simultaneous shouts of approval as the boys practically bounded out the door, Felix running along with them into the dark.

Emma smiled after them, a somewhat awkward silence settling between her and the only person left in the Hollow Tree.

She shifted on one foot. "Uh..._so_...what did yoouuu wanna talk about?"

Pan smirked, walking towards her with the mysterious bundle of cloth under his arm.

She waited expectantly to see what it was, but didn't get the chance as a pair of lips were pressed to hers. She backed into the table, surprised, as Pan rested a hand on her neck and continued to kiss her. Apparently _talking_ wasn't what he had in mind. Slowly, he pulled away.

"You have..._no_ idea how long I've wanted to do that," he said, smiling through half-lidded eyes.

Emma laughed nervously, trying to stop her face from flushing. "What, you mean kiss me without being shoved into a _wall?_"

He smirked. "Something like that."

She smiled at him, _very_ conscious of the fact that Tootles or Felix could walk back in at any moment, and placed a hand on his chest to get some distance between them. "Okay, well it's done, so...let's put the brakes on it before someone walks in..."

Pan chuckled at her need for decency. "I told Felix to keep them away for at _least_ an hour, so there's no need to worry."

Emma pursed her lips. "Right...so what's with the bundle?"

Pan glanced down at the jumble of fabric he was holding. "Oh. Right, that."

He set the object in question down on the table.

"It's clothing. For you. Can't have you prancing around in _those_ old things for all eternity."

Stepping aside, he let Emma pick through the various articles of clothing he'd picked out for her, from jeans to shoes to tops and bracelets, and even some rather questionable pieces of underwear.

"Where did you get these?" She asked, holding up a pair of panties.

Pan shrugged. "Here and there. Nothing to be concerned about."

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "You mean you _stole_ them?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that. I prefer the term 'borrowed'."

"For _all eternity?_"

"Well, it's not like they needed it. Trust me, _none_ of these things are going to be missed."

Emma gazed questioningly at him, but didn't press the matter any further.

Besides, it wasn't like she was in any position to return these things to their original owners. She would just have to take his word for it and trust that they wouldn't be missed.

However _unlikely_ that sounded in her mind.

* * *

After trying on every shirt, night-gown, pants, skirt, and other article of clothing Pan had brought her, Emma settled on a pair of light blue pajamas and a satin, long-sleeved night-shirt.

She found it _extremely odd_ that they all fit her to a T, but didn't bother to question him about it (frankly, she was kind of afraid to).

She currently sat with Pan outside the Hollow Tree, watching as her old and dirty clothes turned to ashes in the campfire at his insistence.

"...So I've been thinking," she said, and Pan turned his gaze away from the fire and onto her. "Where's Tigerlily?"

His brows furrowed. "_Who?_"

"Y...you know. _Tigerlily_ and the...Indians..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

She looked away, embarrassed that she'd even _thought_ to compare the Disney version of Peter Pan and the world of Neverland with the real thing. "...Just forget it."

They continued to stare at the fire, and Emma looked out into the darkness as a series of enthusiastic woops and hollers echoed in the distance.

"I guess they're still out having fun," she mused. "When do think they'll be back?"

Pan shrugged. "Whenever they feel like it, I suppose. They usually get tired after a couple hours, but given the fact that they haven't gone out to catch fireflies in a while, it could be longer...Why? Are you worried?"

She shook her head. "No. It's just so..._weird_, having all this quiet. It's _freaky_..." She looked over her shoulder, half expecting Pan's Shadow to jump out of nowhere.

Pan chuckled, shifting his weight to lean his elbow on one knee. "Yes, I suppose it _does_ take some getting used to. But if you ask me, it's a welcome change, if only for a few hours."

Emma smiled, nodded as she looked at him. "Yeah..."

Without warning, a yawn tore its way out of her throat, a sudden feeling of extreme tiredness washing over her.

"..._Man_, I'm really _tired_ all the sudden...and _cold_..."

Pan stifled a smile as she grabbed her shoulders, freezing despite the warm fire. "I could help with that."

She sent him a half-hearted glare, but said nothing to either encourage or discourage his lewd comment.

"Well...I'm gonna head inside. I need to catch some shut eye."

His eyebrows lifted. "I'll join you."

Sighing, Emma stood up, her bare feet crunching against the fallen leaves as Pan moved to join her.

Smiling softly at him, she turned to go back inside the Hollow Tree and retreat to the warm covers of her bunk, trying to decide if his offer was one of gentlemanly concern or just shameless innuendo.

Emma walked inside and sat on her bunk, suddenly feeling stupid for wearing a satin shirt and no socks when it was freezing out. In fact, she felt a little bit of a headache coming on...

"Don't worry," Pan said, kneeling in front of her. "Whatever you're feeling, it's just the after effects of getting younger."

Emma groaned, closing her eyes as he placed a hand on the side of her head. "Okay..."

Keeping her eyes shut, she sighed as he reached up and placed a kiss on her forehead, smiling despite the growing ache in her skull.

"Here," he said, and she opened her eyes to see him taking a potion from his belt. "If the headache gets to be too much, drink this. It'll numb the pain."

Emma took the glass bottle of pink liquid, albeit a bit reluctantly.

She supposed there was no reason to be wary - after all, her last potion experience turned out okay - but she was still a bit on edge about the whole 'using magic to solve all of one's problems' thing. In the end, she guessed it just went down to personal preference, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to take the stuff if she woke up in the middle of the night with a migraine - _Hell, no._

"Thanks, but I'll probably just tough it out," she said, and he laughed.

"You're a wild thing, you are."

Emma moved to lie down, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the growing pounding in her head from the change of position.

"Pfft. I bet you say that to all the girls..."

"Well, in my opinion, all women are wild."

She cracked an eye open, brow raised. "..._Excuse me?_"

He elaborated as though it were common knowledge. "You may _think_ they're not, that they're all just naturally kind and soft-spoken and meek and mild, like your _mother_. But once you take them _away_ from all that, from society and its double-standards, they revert back to what they really are: wild."

Emma grinned at him. "_Really?_ And _how_ many women have you dealt with, exactly?"

He gestured to her. "Well, just look at you. You've hardly been here a _week_ and already you're breaking the rules. Scampering off in the woods and putting swords to people's throats and all that."

She stayed silent, not really being able to disagree with him, and Pan leaned forward to kiss her once more.

"Get some rest. Good night, Emma."

He stood up and climbed into his bunk, snapping his fingers and extinguishing the oil lamps around the room, and Emma shut her eyes, trying not to dwell too much on his words as she slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: I'll fix any typos I find later, but for now just enjoy :)**

**'Til next time! (which will hopefully be sooner than last, lol)**


	17. P Calm and Storm

**A/N: 12/04/2014 Back again! :D I figured it was about time we had some good ol' Pan POV. What do you think? ;)**

**BlackCatNeko999****: Thank you! I agree! Pemma has _tons_ of potential. Can you imagine how awesome that would be if they got together in the series?! :O**

**Anonymous****: Yay, your first review! Congratulations :D And yep, I'm an authoress. Lol.**

**everlastingtrueromance****: Thanks! :)**

**the white wolf Haruka****: Shhh, quit with the spoilers! And thanks for your review! :D**

**j****: Such a short username...I like it :D And here you go, another chapter! **

**storydream****: Shh shh shh SHHH! Quit trying to figure out the story, you'll give everything away! D:( And thanks for your SUPER long review, btw, I loved reading every letter of it :) There'll be more major after-effects of Emma's transformation in this chapter, but they'll be over by the end of it. And be prepared, because Felix WILL start being nice! *gasp* ...Eventually. And yep. Peter was a Borrower in another life. Lol. Innuendos are indeed hilarious. It would be SO awesome if they made lamps like that. I would use them like, SO often. And yes, that was a reference to ****when they first met :)**

**Reading time: 11 mins.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter seventeen: Calm and Storm~

* * *

Pan smiled as he watched Emma play tag with Tootles and the rest of the Lost Boys.

It had been just over a week since her 'transformation', as he called it, and from that moment on things had been...nicer. Easier. _Happier_. Just better all around, really.

And not just because Emma was younger and more willing to kiss him, either. Since her age had decreased, she had become more loose and less uptight. She was more fun and less suspicious of Pan and his intentions. She wanted to play more games with the Lost Boys and didn't care how childish they were. And on top of all that, she wasn't constantly looking over her shoulder for a non-existent sneak attack that she had been so sure was coming when she had been an adult. It was nice.

And he was almost sure she hadn't even noticed the changes.

It was almost as if by reversing her age, he had reversed her personality and beliefs too. He began to wonder if it affected her memories as well, but he knew better than to bring up Henry or Storybrooke so soon.

Pan watched Emma fake left and tag Felix, and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

The two had been on much better terms with each other lately, and for that he was glad. Felix was his friend and most loyal follower, and Emma...well, he liked her - maybe even loved. It was too soon to tell, but when she and Felix fought, it was very frustrating for him. So of course it was a _much_ welcomed change when they started getting along. No, they weren't best friends or anything, but they weren't at each other's throats whenever they were in the same room either, so he was going to take that as a good sign.

Unfortunately, the calm was not meant to last.

* * *

The first time it happened, Pan's nerves had been absolutely wracked.

They had all been sleeping when Emma suddenly woke up screaming.

The noise woke every single one of them, and they all crowded around her to see what was wrong. Pan, being the closest, had been the first to reach her, and he called her name several times and tried to get her to look at him as tears continued to run down her face in steady streams.

They stayed up for two hours as she cried, and Pan had never felt so scared for another human being in his life.

* * *

When it happened again the next night, with no reason or explanation, Pan had given each one of the Lost Boys fairy dust to help them sleep while he tended to Emma.

He would do the same thing for six nights straight.

* * *

Eventually the tears stopped, but what replaced them wasn't much of an improvement.

Emma became depressed.

She didn't want to do much of anything, not even eat. She would just wake up, make excuses as to why she didn't want to go outside or play with the boys, and go back to sleep. She only ate because Pan and Felix practically _forced_ her to, but even then, there wasn't much that went into her stomach. This, too, would go on for days.

On the fourth day, Pan became worried. More so than he had been already.

Emma didn't seem to be getting any skinnier, which was good (surprising, even, though it was probably just because of her young body) but it didn't help the fact that she wasn't eating.

It was that same day that he decided to hide every sharp object in the Hollow Tree.

* * *

When the third mood-swing came, it was for the better.

_Much_ better, in fact. Loads better. Tons.

For Pan, that is.

It suddenly seemed as though all Emma wanted to do was kiss him. She was constantly looking for opportunities to drag him away from the group and behind a tree or into the bushes. It was almost ridiculous. Funny, even. Not that he minded.

This was the most positive reaction he'd had from her in _days_, and God forbid if he was going to let it go to waste.

* * *

Amidst the _countless_ late-night meetings and stolen kisses, Pan began to notice a pattern.

Every seven days, Emma's behavior changed drastically. And from what he could tell, she had no control over it whatsoever. He didn't know the reason why, exactly, but he suspected it to be the after-effects of her change. He wasn't sure whether or not he should try and do something about it, but given her current mood, he decided against it.

It could wait a few more days.

* * *

The fourth week was the worst, as well as the one that nearly pushed him to the edge.

One day Emma was all over him, and the next she hated his guts. She was constantly picking fights with Felix and the boys, but especially Pan. She practically _looked_ for reasons to disagree with him and start a fight, and it took all his willpower to keep things from getting explosive in the worst of ways. It was especially hard for him because her behavior was so opposite from how she had been acting just hours before.

It was quite the change to adapt to.

* * *

On the second day of dealing with Emma's hostile behavior, Pan was at his wit's end.

He slipped away from the group during dinner while everyone was eating by the campfire - Emma doing so _most_ begrudgingly - and disappeared into the forest.

He had a Shadow to meet.

* * *

When he finally reached a spot far enough from the others - a small alcove in the cliffs - Pan waited impatiently for his counterpart to appear.

It only took a few moments, but if felt like _ages_ before his Shadow made itself known.

Pan was quick to voice his frustrations. "_What's _wrong with her?"

The Shadow hovered above the rocky ground, taking a moment before replying. "There is nothing 'wrong' with the Savior. Everything is as it should be."

"_Bollocks!_" he spat. "There is _everything_ wrong with her! She shouldn't be acting like this! Now tell me - _what can I do to fix it?_"

"She is merely going through the changes brought on by regaining her youth. There is nothing you can do except _wait_."

Pan didn't like that answer. "_Wait?_ For how much longer? I can't take much more of this, and _they_ can't either! There has to be _something_ I can do! A potion, or- or-"

"Perhaps you should have considered that _before_ you decided to trade her for the boy," the Shadow interrupted, and Pan's brows wrinkled.

"...What do you mean?" he asked.

"The changes she's going through are determined by her various emotional states during her stay in Neverland," it replied emotionlessly. "Her feelings are merely being amplified to extremes by the Island itself. It will continue until she has cycled through them all."

Pan went silent.

Wait. So Emma was just feeling the highest forms of what she'd felt while he had kept her in Neverland? So that meant...

"So everything I've gone through these past few weeks is _my fault?_" Pan asked, irritation sparking within him.

The Shadow tilted its head, glowing eyes boring into his own. "In a form..._yes._"

Pan grunted in anger and frustration, reaching up his hands and pulling at his hair.

The Shadow loomed closer. "You _made_ her feel these things, and you must _suffer_ through them. Just as she does."

"And what about when it's over?" he shot back, anger rising. "Will she even _recognize _who she_ is?_"

"Nothing is certain," came his reply. "Depending on how strong the Savior is, she may emerge without permanent damage. The only thing you can do...is wait."

The Shadow floated away and evaporated into the black of night, and Pan clenched his fists as he stood in place on the cliff.

Nothing seemed too certain anymore.

* * *

When he returned to the Hollow Tree, everyone was fast asleep.

Pan came to stand at Emma's bunk, staring down at her forlornly.

Hesitantly, he reached out a hand and stroked her hair, running his fingers along the silky strands, and sighed.

He would wait, he decided.

After all they had been through, she deserved that much from him.

Looking away from the Savior's sleeping form, Pan climbed into his bunk, careful and quiet, so as not to wake anyone.

As he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, he thought of Emma. It seemed as though she had only been with him for a fraction of a second, and yet she had come to be more of a friend to him than those he had known for _years_. She was lively, witty, funny, she kept him on his toes. She could have left that night she ran away (well, could have tried) but she came back. She had managed in just _days_ to capture his interest, and in so little time, she managed to capture his heart as well.

He would wait.

It was the least he could do.

* * *

**A/N: This will be the last of Emma's 'transformation' drama, I promise. But you have to admit, it's pretty nice seeing Pan so worried ;) I'll post the next chapter soon, probably in a day or so.**

**'Til next time!**


	18. P Decision

**A/N: 12/06/2014**

**the white wolf Haruka: Thank you! I hope this chapter's just as good! :) **

**everlastingtrueromance: Don't worry! She'll be better in this chapter! :)**

**KitsuneHime18x: Wow, thanks a ton! That really means a lot, considering there are at least one or two more Pemma fanfics out there that are far better than mine, at least in my opinion XD **

**storydream: Thanks. It's good to have positive feedback about that because I was actually worried about the quality of the last chapter. So thanks XD And yes, worried Pan is very cute ;)**

**Reading time: 11 mins.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter eighteen: Decision~

* * *

Four weeks later, Emma's changes finally ceased.

It took a lot of time (and a _whole_ lot of patience) but eventually, she returned to the normal woman Pan loved.

She was just as he remembered her the day they first met, but more...immature. Not by much, but enough to take notice. It was mostly subtle things, like the way she handled losing at a game, or her sudden distaste for cleaning. Either way, he could have wept with relief the day he woke up to a normal morning without dodging a heavy object being thrown at his head or having to take it upon himself to soothe unexplainable tears or other such dramas.

She had a lot of emotions, he'd give her that.

Pan currently sat crouched beside Emma, picking berries from a bush while the others ran about in the forest. It was the most peace they'd had since she had 'recovered'. It was nice.

"Hey," Emma said suddenly, and Pan's head snapped up to hers. "Do you think that if I cut my hair and threw Pixie Dust on it, it would still grow?"

He chuckled. "What makes you think that?"

"I dunno," she said, shrugging. "I was just thinking about how my hair's getting too long. And then I thought about Pixie Dust and how it can be used for like, EVERYTHING, and then I thought, 'Hey. Can Pixie Dust make hair grow?'"

Pan smiled, teeth flashing as he considered her words. "Well, I don't know. I suppose it could, though I've never tried it...and why on _Earth_ would you want to cut your hair?"

"I told you, it's getting too long," she said, picking a berrie and dropping it into her canvas sack.

He reached over and twirled a thick blonde lock between his fingers. "If you ask me, it's not long enough."

"I got _caught_ playing hide and seek yesterday because my hair got stuck on a branch. And _you're_ telling me it's not long_ enough?_"

Pan smirked and leaned over to kiss her on the lips, moving to her jaw and down to her neck as he grabbed a fistful of her hair. He happily buried his face in the endless ocean of blonde strands.

"Not _nearly_," he replied, nuzzling her neck.

Emma laughed. "Hey, stop it, that tickles!"

He only continued the action in response, and it took all he had not to try and steal another kiss when she pushed him away in a frenzy.

"Now _stop_ it!" she tried to say firmly, though he could tell by her smile and mirth-filled voice that she hardly meant it.

Pan moved to tickle her stomach, but stopped when something fell out of his pocket.

They both looked down at the object, and before he could scoop it up and hide it away, Emma reached down and picked it up.

It was a picture, a drawing of Henry.

It had been important once, when it all started - Henry had been the key to his initial plans. But now it was nothing, and Pan couldn't remember when or why he'd decided to keep it.

Emma stared at the piece of paper, the light in her eyes slowly fading to a dull sadness.

"I'm sorry-" he began to say, but she cut him off.

"No, no. It's fine. I'm...I'm sure he's happy. Back in..."

_Storybrooke_.

They both knew what she meant. Neither of them said it. And neither was going to.

"...Here," Pan said, reaching out a hand. "I'll take it."

Emma reluctantly gave him the picture, and he was quick to stuff it back in his pocket and hide it away from her line of sight. He made a note to burn it later.

"Let's get these berries back to the Hollow Tree," he said, making it a point to move on. "I'm sure they'll all be plenty hungry by the time we get back."

"...Yeah," she said, nodding and moving to stand with her bag of berries. "They probably will."

They continued their trek home, but not a word more was spoken between them.

* * *

"Do you think time is the same here?"

Pan paused at the question, stopping mid-stride as he made his way to his bunk.

It was nighttime, and the others were already in bed, Emma included, and various conversations carried throughout the Hollow Tree while they waited for him to put out the lights.

"...I'm not sure what you mean," he answered carefully, not liking where this was going.

"In the real word," she said, staring wonderingly at the wooden bottom of his bunk bed. "In Storybrooke. Do you think time is the same there as it is here?"

Storybrooke. The word was like a curse, a taboo.

But still she asked, and so still he would answer.

"...I don't know," he answered truthfully. "There may be a few hour's difference, but other than that it's probably about the same...why do you ask?"

She sighed and turned her head to look at him. "Henry. I was thinking about everyone I left behind. Just...idle thoughts, I guess."

The words were like a firm slap to the face, but he tried not to let it show. Unfortunately, he had been letting his guard down a lot around Emma lately. She picked up on it immediately.

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing you need to read into," she said comfortingly, beckoning him over.

Pan obeyed and walked over to her, bending down by her bed to kiss her goodnight as he'd been doing for the past four nights.

"I love you," he whispered, and she smiled.

"I love you, too."

He stood up and took his shoes off, setting them beside hers before climbing into his bunk and settling under the covers.

He snapped his fingers and turned out the lights, and the murmer of conversations around him ceased to fill the room. He spent the next hour or so trying not to dwell on Emma's homesickness and ultimately failing. _Miserably_. She was obviously unhappy; what could he do to fix it?

Eventually, he drifted to sleep, though it wasn't without _much_ difficulty.

* * *

Some time later that night, Pan awoke, unable to sleep.

He lay in bed staring at the ceiling - or rather, at the blackness that he knew to be the ceiling - and thinking nonstop about what he could do to ease Emma's pain.

He knew that she missed Henry, and though she didn't say it, she missed her parents too. He knew that they were in a whole other dimension from them, practically a whole other _world_ away. He knew there wasn't much he could do to change that. And he knew that he would have to find a way, if he ever wanted Emma to be truly happy.

And so he thought. Hard.

There wasn't really much he could do for her, really. There was a reason their worlds had never collided, though he didn't know what that was. Hmm...what if-

_No_, his mind scolded.

_It's a bad idea. _Very_ bad. If you get caught or captured, who _knows_ what would happen to Neverland? To your friends? To Emma? You have no idea of knowing what would become of them if you were to-_

Pan shook his head, ignoring the warning signs and red flags flying up in his mind at his idea.

He could think of nothing else that would solve the problem, nothing else that would make Emma happier, and so that was what he was going to do. Simple as that.

Suddenly annoyed at being stationary for so long, Pan hopped out of his bunk and landed on the solid ground of the Hollow Tree, making sure to keep quiet as he reached over to put on his shoes.

Emma slept soundlessly in her bed as he laced his boots, and he leaned down to stroke her hair as the moonlight streamed in from the doorway. He was going to make her happy, if it was the last thing he did. He just hoped that everything went as well as he planned.

Taking one last look at his sleeping Savior, Pan turned on his heel and strode out into the night, clutching at the bottle of Pixie Dust tied to his belt.

* * *

He walked until he reached the ocean.

Pan stood just beyond the shoreline, staring out into the endless waves.

He inhaled deeply, taking in the distinct smell of sand and salt.

Having finally reached his destination, he took out the bottle of Pixie Dust and emptied it over himself, smiling with mirth as his feet left the ground. It had been so long since he'd experienced full and unbridled flight. He'd forgotten just how exhilerating it was.

Using his arms to guide himself, Pan flew high over the waters. And higher, and higher, and higher still, eyes locked onto the bright star in the distance.

It had been centuries since he'd been to the other side, the other world, and after so many years he was sure the times had changed. He was hardly sure of what to expect. But Emma's family was somewhere on the other end of that star, and he was going to find them. No matter what it took.

Pan swallowed down his nervousness and doubt, and continued to fly.

Straight on till morning.

* * *

**A/N: A lot of you probably saw this coming. Am I right? ;D If I'm not mistaken, the portal or 'star' is the only way off the island of Neverland, but even if I'm wrong, it's just a fanfiction.**

**Anyway, the next chapter's gonna have Regina and Snow and Charming and everyone in it, so look forward to the next update :) In the meantime, go ahead and gimme your thoughts on this chapter (if you want to, of course).**

**'Til next time!**


	19. R Arrival

**A/N: 01/09/2015 I am SO SORRY I haven't updated in so long! I got swept away with Christmas and New Year's and another fanfiction I was writing for The Walking Dead :( ****But don't worry, I'm back now. ****And I intend to finish this thing! :D **

**Now, this chapter is _super_ short, I know, but it's really just a teaser for the real thing AND to let you know that I'm not leaving this unfinished. And hey, it's in Regina's POV! Depending on who you are, that's a treat! :)**

**silver tears85****: Thank you! I'm sure you'll like the 'official' chapter I post soon after this one :)**

**KitsuneHime18x****: Thank you! Yeah, Pan's sweet when he cares about someone. You know. In an obsessed, unhealthy, twisted kind of way. But still sweet nonetheless. Lol. And yes, 'straight on til morning' does get old! It's very cliche, which is exactly why I did it! :D**

**BlackCatNeko999****: Thank you for your reviews, I hope you like this sneak peek of sorts :)**

**the white wolf Haruka****: Oh, you'll see how everyone reacts to Pan's arrival (hint: it won't be pretty) ;)**

**KittyCombs****: Thank you so much! I hope your excitement isn't let down when I post the next chapter! :D**

**everlastingtrueromance****: Thank you. And yes, I plan to make things _very_ interesting ;)**

**MinhUsagi134****: Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter nineteen: Arrival~

* * *

Regina Mills sat at her desk, carefully writing out her signature on a small stack of time-sensitive documents.

It had been over a month since their journey to Neverland, and with all the hostility and backlash from the townspeople regarding Emma Swan and her absence from the group upon their arrival, it felt nice to sit back and focus on regular every day tasks again. Things needed to be done, organized. Organization was good. It kept the world spinning.

Despite the fact that she was perfectly happy being back home in Storybrooke, no one else seemed to share her feelings. Apparently it was all _her_ fault that Emma had chosen to stay with Pan, and everyone rallied behind the Savior's parents to treat their Mayor with hard stares and cold shoulders. Not that she minded. She felt no regret for letting Emma stay in that twisted cesspool. She was a grown woman, and she'd made her decision. _She_ was the one who'd taken the easy way out, not her. She could just suit her damn self-

Regina closed her eyes and exhaled, willing herself to stop dwelling on stuck up strangers and past events. She picked up her pen and continued writing.

Henry hadn't been speaking to her lately. He'd barely said a word all day, and he hadn't said anything at _all_ the day they'd made it back home. At first she had just assumed that he needed time, but now? A month later? Now she was just plain worried.

She had contemplated going back to Neverland or performing a spell of some sort to bring Emma back, _anything_ to make Henry happy. Hell, she'd even gone to Gold at one point. But nothing could be done. There wasn't a spell powerful enough to cross worlds without killing someone, and Gold had been unwilling. It was done. A deal had been made. And now they had no choice but to accept it. Even if it meant Henry's happiness.

There was a banging on the front door, and before she realized what was happening David Nolan was barrelling into the doorway of her office, eyes wide and out of breath.

Regina dropped her pen, standing from her chair immediately when she saw his expression. Something was wrong.

"What is it?" she asked, panic rising.

"It's Pan," he breathed, leaning against the door frame to catch his breath.

Her eyes widened, and he only confirmed her fears when he finished his sentence.

"He's here."

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, like I said, this is just a short teaser chapter for the big debate on Pan and Emma's happiness. What do you think's gonna end up happening? :D**

**See you all very soon! **


	20. R Debate

**A/N: 01/15/2015 BOOM, I'm back :D**

**elenamikaelsongilbert****: NO! Don't die! Here, take this update! It'll help! D: **

**the white wolf Haruka****: Yeah, she'll be with him soon enough. It'll be happy and nice, and we're all gonna love it ;) Thanks for your review!**

**BlackCatNeko999****: Thanks! Yep, I reckon there'll be about 5-7 more chapters of this, and then it'll be done :D Hope you enjoy this update! **

**Revengest****: Thanks! **

**MinhUsagi134****: Thanks, hopefully you'll like this one better, it's much longer. And yes, don't we _all_ have mixed feelings about Regina ;P**

**HenriettaPotterLeFay7****: Thanks a ton! Yeah, Regina_ is_ a snob, but I'm not sure if she's gonna mellow out or not in this. Hopefully she will :/ Glad you like this story, and sorry to keep you waiting!**

**Nichole****: Ah! Sorry I didn't update soon enough for you! And I _have_ checked that story out, it's really good! I did realize that I didn't have it in my favorites, though, so thanks for the reminder! ;) **

**silver tears85****: Thank you! And as HenriettaPotterLeFay7 said, the letters in each chapter title refers to whose point of view the chapter is in. 'R' is Regina, 'E' is Emma and 'P' is Pan :)**

**Reading time: 11 mins.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter twenty: Debate~

* * *

Regina Mills glared at the young boy standing leisurely in her office, wishing nothing more than to flick her wrist and heap endless curses upon his head from her fingertips.

Peter Pan smirked, as though reading her thoughts, and tilted his head back and crossed his arms, as if to demonstrate the fact that she couldn't lay a finger on him while in the company of all the others, irking her further.

The entire town had practically crammed their way into her house, and the young devil was surrounded by countless hostile faces and unkind gazes, but he didn't seem to mind. If anything, he seemed to enjoy the challenge of using nothing but his deceiving looks and misleading voice to keep his head connected to his shoulders. As of the past thirty seconds, he had been bombarded with questions, each one centering around one Emma Swan.

Regina closed her eyes and pursed her lips, nails digging into the wood of her desk.

The noise.

It was just too much.

"ENOUGH!" She yelled, and all eyes were on her.

"_Enough_," she said again, lower this time. She straightened the hem of her shirt. "Now," she began, regaining her composure. "I'm sure we all have..._questions_. But _please_, one at a time."

Everyone nodded and quietly murmured in agreeance, and Charming spoke first, stepping past his wife to look their 'guest' in the eyes.

"Where is she?" He asked.

Pan's eyes flicked to the Savior's father, but as he opened his mouth to answer, another spoke up.

"Why are you here?"

It was Grumpy.

"What have you done with her?" Snow asked, unable to stop herself. "Where's Emma?"

"_One_ at a _time_," Regina emphasized through gritted teeth, trying her damnest to keep from blasting every single one of them into another dimension.

Snow and Grumpy silenced, and Charming spoke again.

"What have you done with Emma?"

"If you're inquiring as to her physical state, she's perfectly _fine_," Pan replied, a hint of a sneer on his mouth. "But if it's her emotional health you're worried about, well...let's just say she's been better."

Charming darted forward, grabbing a fistful of the boy's collar and reeling back his fist to punch him.

"_No_!" Snow cried, reaching out to stop her husband.

Regina shot her arm out, waves of blue magic exploding from her fingertips, and within seconds Charming's arm was rendered motionless.

"_Stop_ it," she ordered, uncaring of the fearful eyes trained on her.

Charming looked at her - _glared_, really - but obeyed nevertheless, the fire in his eyes fading to a dim spark, and she lowered her arm, releasing him from her hold.

"Okay," Regina said, all business. "I think it would _best_ if we-"

"Mom?"

She froze, jaw locked, and turned to the sound of the voice, her eyes meeting its tiny owner.

"...Henry!" she said, unable to mask her surprise. "I thought I told you to stay upstairs and do your homework."

Henry ignored her, his eyes firmly locked on his grandfather and the familiar boy whose collar he had fisted around his hand, recognition and wonder lighting up his face.

"Pan?" he asked, and the two focused their eyes on him. "Peter Pan?"

Pan smiled.

"Hello, Henry."

* * *

"_Now_," Regina said coldly, turning around after locking the door to her office. "Let's get down to business."

After much convincing and assuring and debating and hassle, the others had all retreated to the front yard, impatiently waiting for she, Snow, Charming, and Henry to decide what to do with the young demon who'd stolen away their Savior. She wasn't going to lie; she didn't hate Emma Swan, nor did she wish the pain of a thousand deaths upon her head for merely breathing the same air as she did (not anymore, that is), but that didn't mean she was going to sacrifice the life she'd built with her son in order to save her from a fate she'd chosen for herself.

No, if it meant severing or altering what little relationship she had with Henry, then she would do everything in her power to make sure this little 'surprise visit' Pan had sprung on them would end in the worst of ways. Emma was the Savior, but she was also a threat. And threats needed to be dealt with.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked, lip curling involuntarily at the haughty smirk she received.

"I just wanted to see how my favorite people in the world were," Pan replied, crossing his arms and cocking his head.

She knew he was being sarcastic, but to a fool it would have been hard to tell. "And what of miss Swan?"

His smirk slightly faltered at her mention of Emma, but nevertheless stayed in place. "That's what I came here to tell you, actually. She's..."

He cut himself off, looking purposefully at Henry, and Regina caught on immediately.

Clearing her throat, she said, "Um, Henry, why don't you go outside and see how everyone is doing?"

"Why?" Henry asked, insightful as ever. "Is something wrong with Emma?"

"Just go outside, Henry," she pleaded, looking to the floor.

"What is it?" he asked, growing frantic as he looked at the quiet faces around the room. His eyes landed on Pan. "What's wrong with my mom?"

Pan looked to Charming and Snow, and then to Regina, silently asking for permission to share the news.

The raven-haired woman nodded, and he bent down to eye-level with Henry and put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"She's not well," he said, keeping his voice soft.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked, wanting to know exactly what was wrong. "Is she sick?"

"She's...she's not happy," he said simply.

Snow and Charming sighed in relief.

Regina snorted. "_There's_ a surprise..."

Pan gave a half-hearted side glare in the Queen's direction, but maintained his focus on Henry.

"Emma misses you." He looked to Snow and Charming. "All of you. And she needs her family."

"Wait, w- what are you saying?" Snow asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

Pan stood up to stare at the worried mother.

"I want you to come to Neverland," he said, and their eyes bulged.

"_WHAT?!_" Regina shrieked, and the others did the same.

"You can't be _serious_," the Queen said, a disgusted look on her face.

"I am," Pan said, turning to look back at her. "And if you agree, I shall take you there immediately."

He looked to Henry and Charming and Snow, and Regina realized that by 'you' he didn't mean her. It was time to intervene.

"You're not taking my _son_ from me!" she said, as though the very notion were ridiculous.

Pan looked at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Though I am well aware of your artificial attachment to Henry, I doubt if there's any _real_ merit behind it other than knowing you have something Emma doesn't. This hardly concerns you."

The rage that burned in the Evil Queen's eyes had never been brighter, and it escaped her in long, heavy seeths, yet still she kept it reigned.

"Don't think I don't know what your game is, _Pan_," she spat, taking a step closer. "Your little mind games might have worked in Neverland, but you're in _my_ domain now. And I don't believe for a _second_ that you care about the Savior's happiness. Or _anyone's_, for that matter. And I am _not_ about to be fooled."

She was inches from his face now, glaring with all the hatred of a bursting sun, and Pan stared right back as though it didn't affect him at all.

He scoffed, a tiny, short breath. "Is that what you think? That I would travel a great, nearly _impossible_ distance, just so I could torment the Savior by capturing her family and doing unspeakable things? That I'm incapable of change?"

"_'Change'_," she snorted, smiling mirthlessly. "You? The immortal son? Please. You'd sooner trade her happiness for a _face-lift_."

Pan glared, the corner of his lip curling into a snarl.

Anger bubbled inside him, she could _sense_ it, and it made her smirk in satisfaction as she relished the feeling. She was back on top, once again in charge of the situation. Everything was under control.

"Like I said," Pan sneered, glaring pointedly at her. "This doesn't concern you. The only ones who can make Emma happy are _these_ three," he gestured behind him to Henry, Snow, and Charming. "And that _doesn't_ include you. Now let's let _them_ decide, shall we?"

Ignoring the blatant look of anger and contempt, he turned his back on the Mayor and looked to Snow and Charming, waiting patiently for an answer.

Snow looked to floor, conflicted with her feelings. "I, uh...well...there's not really much _for_ us here without Emma..."

"Snow!" Charming admonished. "You can't honestly tell me you're _buying_ this crap? He's a..._con-artist!_ We can't trust anything he says!"

"You'd best listen to your husband, dear Snow," Regina advised, curling her lip at the use of 'dear'.

Snow looked around the room, hoping to find an answer in the walls or floor. "I...I..."

Pan held out his hand, smiling reassuringly. "It'll be alright. I promise."

The gentle queen slowly lifted her hand to take his, only coming to her senses when her husband tightened his protective hold on her.

"I- wha..._No!_" she protested, eyes wide as she yanked her hand away. "You have to let her choose what _she_ wants to be happy. You can't just keep her locked away from the world forever, and- and bring her new toys to try and make her forget her sadness like some..._pet!_"

Pan's hand dropped to his side, and his smile disappeared.

His eyes darkened, and the lights in the room flickered angrily.

"...Watch me."

The windows to Regina's office suddenly flew open, and Pan made his exit.

"Hey!"

Charming left his wife's side to run after him, but he was too slow.

Pan launched himself out of the window, holding himself afloat with whatever magic he possessed, and the townsfolk came rushing back into the room just in time to see his shrinking figure.

"What happened?" Grumpy asked, eyes wide.

"...He's gone," Charming said, and Snow rushed to his side to cry into his jacket.

"Oh, Emma..."

Regina held back the urge to smirk, and instead chose to comfort Henry. She moved to his side, squatting down to his level and closing her hands around his shoulders.

"Are you alright, Henry?"

Henry didn't look at her.

She tried again.

"Look, I know you were hoping that you'd get to see Emma, but we can't trust Pan. You _know_ that. But...I want you to know that I'll always be there for you. No matter what."

He sniffled and wiped his nose. "Just leave me alone..."

Breaking away from her embrace, Henry turned and ran out of her office, making short work of the grand staircase that led to his room.

Regina stood up, watching him go with worried eyes.

She supposed she shouldn't be happy about losing any chance of contact with her son's birth mother, but at the same time she didn't see another option. She loved Henry, and she wanted him to love her back. And with time, he would. As long as Emma was kept out of the picture.

The raven-haired Queen turned to gaze out her office window, staring after the space Pan had taken up just moments before, and sighed forlornly.

She didn't hate Emma.

She wanted Henry to be happy.

But there was nothing she could do.

This was the way it had to be.

* * *

**A/N: Ooh, Regina's baaaad O.O**

**I'm just gonna ask this right now, as it WILL affect the ending: do you think Emma should stay with Pan in Neverland, or Pan should stay with Emma in Storybrooke? Let me know!**

**'Til next time!**


	21. PE Fix

**A/N: 02/18/2015 I AM SO SORRY! I NEVER meant for this story to get this far away from me! D:**

**Guest****: Hey, thanks a ton! I'm definitely checking out that Batman/Harley fic! You're the bomb, hope you enjoy this update! :D **

**Guest****: Thanks for the vote! Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Guest****: Thanks for the vote! :)**

**Nichole****: Thank you for both of your reviews! I'm EXTREMELY sorry I haven't updated sooner :( I hope you especially enjoy this chapter! :)**

**StarKiss666****: Thank you! And thanks for your vote! And pfft! '_Have I heard Monster by Eminem'?_ HA! I LOVE that song! :D That's funny that you were listening to that as you read the chapter, I hope you enjoy this one just as much! :)**

**Taeniaea****: Thanks a lot! Enjoy the update!**

**readandwrite4evernever20****: Thanks for your vote, I'm glad you think I write Regina's character so well :)**

**the white wolf Haruka****: Thanks for your vote! Enjoy the chapter! :D **

**HenriettaPotterLeFay7****: Yes, Regina certainly has made a mess of things. Thanks for your votes, I think I already know what I'm going to do with the ending ;) Glad you enjoyed Henry, Snow, and Charming, and enjoy this update! It's been _far_ too long!**

**BlackCatNeko999****: Thanks for your thoughtful vote! Your logic is astounding! ;) Oh, and to answer your question: when I said they moved the discussion to the front yard I meant that they kicked everyone _else_ (the townsfolk) out into the front yard to wait for Regina, Snow, and Charming's decision on what to do with him, so they were still in her office with Pan. Does that make sense? Anyway, enjoy the update :)**

**LoveLiving****: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this update :)**

**MinhUsagi134****: Thanks for your votes and review, I'm glad you put so much thought into it, lol. Please enjoy this update, sorry I took so long! :)**

**Reading time: 12-13 mins.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter twenty-one: Fix~

* * *

Pan quietly landed on the forest floors of Neverland, his feet lightly crunching the fallen leaves as he crept up to the Hollow Tree to peek inside.

The lights were off, and everyone was still asleep, so he assumed that he must not have been gone that long by Neverland's time standards. Slowly, he snuck inside, keeping his back hunched and his footsteps light as he made his way back to his bunk. He couldn't even _begin_ to describe how thankful he was that time moved so much slower here than it did in-

"Where the hell have you been?"

His head shot up at the harsh whisper, and as his eyes adjusted after having been in the daylight for so long back in Storybrooke, he was (unfortunately) able to make out the dimmed figure of Emma Swan and her not-so-happy face.

He swallowed, already coming up with a believable excuse as to why he wasn't in bed like the others as he straightened his back and stood back in his normal posture. She'd only asked a single question, yet he already knew that this wasn't going to be easy.

"Emma! What are you doing up?"

He couldn't see it very well, but he knew that she was rolling her eyes by the way she swayed her head.

"_Me?_ What about _you?!_ What are you doing up at this hour? That's what_ I'd_ like know!"

Deciding to take the easy way out, Pan lowered his voice into an innocent tone and said, "I was only gone for a minute."

Unfortunately for him, this only seemed to spark her anger further. "A _minute?_ You've been gone all day! What are you talking about 'only gone for a minute'? What kind of bull is that?"

And then it hit him - an hour in Storybrooke was the equivilant of an entire _day_ in Neverland. He hadn't been away for as long as he'd thought, he'd been away longer. He supposed he couldn't really blame himself for his forgetfulness; after all, it had been centuries since he'd been to the other side, so of course he wouldn't remember if it was hours ahead or behind in Storybrooke. Still, he doubted that it would be enough of an excuse to convince the fuming little Savior in front of him.

"Look," he said, deciding it was best to just come clean. "I'll admit, I've been away for awhile. I was...running an errand."

"An errand?" She echoed, uncrossing her arms in both suspicion and interest. "What do you mean?"

Crap.

He hadn't thought she'd be this nosy.

"Just...an _errand_, okay? It doesn't concern you."

She sensed his lie immediately, and he almost cursed all the time they'd spent together (for how could she possibly know when he was lying if not for all of opportunities she's had to study his face?) but he knew deep down that no matter how stressed things got between them, he could never wish to truly take back such wonderful memories.

"Like hell it doesn't!" She whispered, stepping closer to try and pry the truth out of him. "Now tell me what you were doing that was _so_ important you had to leave for the whole day without so much as a word!"

He exhaled in irritation, clenching and unclenching his fists as he tried to decide within the next five seconds whether or not she could handle his answer. But in the end, he knew that she would get him to tell her eventually, and really, wouldn't it be better to just deal with it now rather than later? Sighing in defeat, Pan relaxed his shoulders and relented. Might as well get this over with.

"I went to see Henry," he said finally, bracing himself for her reaction.

Emma gasped, a tiny, small sound, but was otherwise silent.

He began to wonder if she'd say anything at all, worried that maybe he'd sent her into some kind of shock, but then-

"You...you went to Storybrooke?"

He froze, unsure of how to handle the gravity of her question. Surely whatever answer he gave would spur on a thousand more questions from her, and whatever answer he gave to _those_ questions would only make her angrier and angrier, so really, what was the point? But at the same time, she'd always been honest with him (as far as he knew, anyway), so it was only fair that he be the same way with her. No matter how much it hurt.

"Yes." He said, tone blunt.

"Wha...why?" She asked, sounding as though she were out of breath.

"Because I knew you weren't happy," he said, contempt rising in his voice. "And I knew that no matter how much I tried, I'd never be good enough. You'd always miss your family."

She fell silent then, her lack of words only confirming the truth he'd tried to keep from believing for so long.

"That...that's not true..."

"Isn't it?" He scoffed, smiling despite the pain and anger he felt. "There's no use denying it, you know. You practically _oozed_ unhappiness from the moment you got here. I was just too blind to see it."

"Stop talking like I don't _care_ about you!" She snapped, voice rising.

"...Emma?"

They both turned their heads towards the sound, and found Tootles sitting up in his bed, tiredly rubbing his eyes. He had always been a light sleeper, so neither of them were really surprised, but it didn't lessen the sting they both felt at having woken one of them up because of their petty fight.

"Is that you?" The little boy asked, yawning.

Emma moved past Pan to the row of bunks lining the walls of the Hollow Tree, kneeling down to try and lull him back to sleep.

"Hey, little man," she cooed, tucking him in. "Go back to sleep, okay? It's late."

"But what are you doing?" He asked innocently, rubbing his eyes and pinching his brows together. "Is Pan back yet?"

Emma's shoulders tensed, and he could tell that she struggled to keep the calming tone in her voice as she answered. "Yeah. Yeah, he's back."

"Where'd he go?" He asked.

He couldn't see it because her back was to him, but Pan imagined her pursing her lips in distress.

"...He went back to the place where I'm from for a little while." She said finally, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Why?" Tootles asked, curious.

She hesitated, unsure how to reply. "Uh...well, he-"

"What's going on?"

Their heads turned to look at Felix, who was lighting one of the oil lamps by his bunk, and soon enough the others woke up as well.

Emma stood up and backed away towards Pan, and the others stared at the two of them in suspicion and confusion.

"None of your _concern_, Felix. Fo back to bed," Pan ordered, glaring at him.

Felix stared at him, wide-eyed, and the others seemed equally fearful of their leader as they sat up in their individual beds, all of them wishing they could've just stayed asleep.

Realizing he was quickly losing the upper hand, Pan rolled his eyes and grabbed a handful of Sleeping Dust from his belt, wasting no time in hurling it at the unsuspecting boys. Their heads hit their pillows almost simultaneously, and Emma was quick to jump to the offensive at his rash behavior.

"What is _wrong_ with you?!"

He nonchalantly crossed his arms. "Would you have rather I explained to them that we're in the middle of a heated debate that they have no way of truly understanding?"

The teen Savior pursed her lips and shook her hands in anger, knowing that she couldn't really rebutt him, but was far too stubborn to back down without the last word.

"What I'd 'rather' is for you to tell the truth instead of turning to magic every time you run into a problem!" She yelled, knowing full well that the Sleeping Dust would prevent the others from waking up for at least another few hours.

Pan glared at her, but the longer he stared the more he realized; she was right. He _did_ run to magic every time he had a problem. And ever since they'd been together, it had only gotten worse. He'd had to use far more magic in the past week than he'd had to in the past _decade_ just to ensure that there weren't any problems between them, and in truth it was just a temporary solution to a growing problem; Emma wasn't happy, and all he'd done was ignore it and cover it up with Pixie Dust rather than try and help her.

"...You're right, Emma," he said, softening his expression. "I _do_ use magic every time there's a problem. And it's time to put an end to it."

He slowly reached for the vial of Pixie Dust hanging from his belt, and she stared at him in growing panic. "What are you doing?"

He looked up at her, truly sorry for what he was about to do. "What I should have done from the beginning."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Emma."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he was already throwing the magic-infused dust before she could get out another word. The golden dust splayed across her form from head to toe, and he was careful not to blink as she faded from view within mere nanoseconds.

It had been centuries since he'd ever experienced such a whirlwind of emotions, but he's suddenly overcome with them all at once. The shock and loathing and grief hit him like a tidal wave, and it suddenly feels like the room is spinning.

He stumbled back and leaned against the table for support, wondering what he was going to do now, how he was going to explain to the others once they woke up. Tootles would probably miss her the most, but he doubted that all of them _combined_ could match just how much _he_ would miss her. Heck, he _already_ missed her.

But it was done now, and he couldn't just take it back. And the gaping hole he felt in his chest only proved to open his eyes even more to the ramifications of what he'd done; he never should have tampered with a Prophecy as powerful as the Savior's, never should have attempted to bend Fate. But he had, and now the only thing he could do was to try and make it better. It was too late to fix it completely, but maybe, just maybe, he could get things back on track to the way they were supposed to be.

Emma would be happy now, she was where she belonged.

It was better this way.

It had to be.

* * *

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, shielding her face and bracing herself for whatever effects the dust would have on her.

She felt it wash over her, cling to her skin and hair and clothes, and she stood there, waiting for whatever was going to happen to happen, but she felt nothing; it was as if the dust had no effect at all, and she had panicked for no reason.

She opened her eyes, expecting to be face to face with Pan, but he wasn't there. Nothing was there - not Pan, not the Lost Boys, not the Hollow Tree...not anything.

Emma looked frantically around her, eyes hurting from the sudden change from night to day, freezing when her gaze landed on the road sign twenty feet away.

What she saw she just couldn't believe, and the sheer force of it all brought shallow gasps to her lungs and stinging tears to her eyes.

She was back in Storybrooke.

* * *

**A/N: Don't worry, this WILL have a happy ending! Judging from the remaining plot points for me to hit, I've got about 3 more chapters to go before this thing is finished. ****I'd really like to write another Pemma fanfiction, but I'm pretty much sapped dry as far as ideas. Oh, well :P**

**Anyway, sorry again for taking so long to update, writer's block has been an absolute jerk to me lately :/**

**I'll try and update again soon!**


	22. EPEP Apart

**A/N: 04/03/2015 UGH, I am never posting another story AGAIN unless it's completely finished! I can't believe this took so long! D: Special thanks to StarBurst10 for PMing me a hundred times and pushing me to get this out despite my life's obstacles and procrastination :')  
**

**Guest: Okay! :)**

**everlastingtrueromance: Cool, glad you're up to date on this thing! (even though you'll probably have to go back a chapter or so to remember what's going on) :) Don't worry, things will be better. I promise. Anyway, please enjoy the long-awaited chapter!**

**StarBurst10: SORRY! AND THANKS FOR YOUR OPINION! ENJOY THE CHAPTER! :D**

**HenriettaPotterLeFay7: Worry not! I shall fix everything, and you shall enjoy the happy ending this fic is sure to deliver. Until then, however, you will have to deal with just a bit more of Moronic Pan D: Enjoy the chapter!**

**the white wolf Haruka****: Yes! Emma is back in Storybrooke. And now you can FINALLY see how everyone will react! Read on, Grasshopper! :)**

**Guest: Sure, I'd love to write more Pemma stories! I need ideas of course, but thanks to StarBurst10 I have quite a few ;) Can't say when I'll be writing and posting another exactly, but I'll try and get something out over the course of the summer. We'll see :)**

**Nichole****: Wow, thank you! I love your name, btw ;) I DEEPLY apologize for not updating on a regular basis. I know firsthand how torturous it can be to wait and wait and wait for a fic you really really like. But hey, it's here now, right? Better super late than never again. And thanks for that Harley/Batman recommendation! :)**

**MinhUsagi134****: Really? You don't want Emma to age back? Hmm. Well you'll just have to read to find out whether or not that will happen then, won't you? ;) Enjoy the chapter!**

**BlackCatNeko999****: Good question, I'm glad you asked ;) The answer to whether or not Emma will age now that she's back in Storybrooke will be answered in this chapter, so read ahead and see what you think! Thank you! ;)**

**Guest****:**** Updating! :D**

**LoveLiving****: Aww, thank you. I'm glad it made you feel something other than clicheness, lol. Thanks for your input, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Nocilio****: I'm sorry! I don't want you to cry! D': Don't worry, everything will be just fine by the end, I promise!**

**PilarMorgenstern****: Yessir!**

**KitsuneHime18x****: Thank you! Shocker, huh? And as to whether or not she'll be happy to see her family again, you'll have to read and see. I'm glad you've now joined the ranks of the rapidly growing Pemma army, Private! Keep it up and you'll be a General! And as for your other question, no, I'm not up to date on the latest OUAT season. The furthest I got was when Elsa raided the town and that's it. I feel like the show is running out of originality regarding the fairy tale characters, and it's like the producers/writers are grasping at straws to keep the show going. I really think this will be the final season. What do you think? Anyway, please enjoy this chapter! I'm glad you like the story and I LOVE long reviews, so don't sweat it! ;)**

**Miss Snazzy****: Thanks for all your reviews! I absolutely love it when people do that :3 Yes, it is sad, but Emma is still in there somewhere. She's just buried in a bunch of teen angst right now D: Anyway if you're still reading I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

**Reading time: I didn't bother reading through this a 3rd time because I wanted to just hurry up and post this, but I'd say about 10 minutes?  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter twenty-two: Apart~

* * *

She couldn't believe it.

She was back.

In _Storybrooke_, of all places.

She was _home..._

Emma walked dazedly past the elegantly decorative 'Welcome to Storybrooke' sign just outside the small town, looking around at the familiar buildings ahead with shock and awe. She just couldn't believe it. She was home.

Pan had transported her a few miles outside Storybrooke, but with no one around to drive by and notice her, she'd had to walk the rest of the way. Not that she minded. In fact, her legs didn't feel tiredness or strain of any sort. She wished she could say that it was because of the time she'd spent in Neverland, running and chasing and playing in the woods with Pan and the Lost Boys, or maybe even because of her youthful body, but in reality she was just in such a dreamlike state that nothing felt real to her – not the muscles in her aching legs or the slightly increased beating of her heart, not the cold Autumn air or the obscured buildings around her, nor the swirling emotions she was feeling that had numbed into neutrality.

Her breath came in foggy puffs and her legs were numb from the cold as she walked; it was always so warm in Neverland that she'd forgotten how close to winter it had been when they'd first left to find Henry.

Feeling the cold finally beginning to get to her, Emma shifted direction and numbly walked to the nearest building, not even able to recognize or register that it was Granny's Diner as she came to a halt just a few steps inside.

Ruby was the first to notice her.

She'd been pouring coffee for Snow and Charming, when she looked up at the sound of the door bell going off. Her face froze and her eyes widened, and Emma barely noticed as the coffee pitcher shattered to the floor.

The idle chatter and varying conversations came to a halt, and her parents bolted from their booth when their eyes landed on the fatigued form of their daughter.

Emma tiredly shifted her gaze to her parents, and Snow slowly opened her mouth to speak, hesitant if she should acknowledge something that had initially been an impossibility.

"...Emma?"

* * *

Pan sat on one of the wooden stumps inside the Hollow Tree, resting his elbows on his knees and putting his hands beneath his chin as he watched the Lost Boys sleep soundly on the other end of the room.

He had been there for quite a while now, brooding and thinking about the ramifications of what he'd just done. What was he going to do now? What happened when the boys finally woke up? When the Twins wondered where their friend and playmate had gone and Tootles wanted to know where his surrogate mother was? What was he supposed to say to them? That she'd left? Abandoned them out of loyalty to her family back home and that she never truly cared for any of them? That she'd only been using them from the moment she'd arrived?

No.

He wouldn't lie to them. He'd done enough of that to last two lifetimes over. They deserved that much. It was time to tell the truth.

Pan sighed silently to himself, unlacing his fingers and leaning back on the tree stump.

It was sad, really, the lies he'd had to tell in order to keep each of the island's inhabitants there. Maybe if he had told the truth from the beginning then none of this would have happened. Then again, he may never have met Emma, either. It was two sides of the same coin, he supposed. Still, there was no point in looking back at the things he should or shouldn't have done, because they _were_ done now, and there was no changing that. But he _could_ change the future.

Morning would come, and until then he had plenty of time to break it to the boys and inform them of the sad but unchangeable truth of Emma's departure. He hated himself for it, for sending her away on little more than a whim and a hunch (granted, said hunch had been greatly imploded by suspicion and paranoia, but still), but at the same time it was never his place to keep her in Neverland anyway. He had only been delaying the inevitable by playing games and messing with her head.

And no matter how much he dreaded telling the others of the reason behind her disappearance, he also didn't want to have to watch them go blissfully by without knowing the full and total truth while he had no choice but to watch their sad ignorance with jealous anger and a guilty conscience. And so he would tell them. He didn't know how, exactly, but it would be done. The lies stopped now.

Slowly lifting himself from his seat, Pan tiredly walked over to the bunk beds, finally ready to retire his buzzing thoughts and get some rest, pausing when his eyes landed on Emma's empty bed. It was a bad idea, he knew, especially if he wanted to get any sleep that night, but he tossed the idea of sleeping in his own bed out of his mind in favor of the blonde Savior's.

Briefly glancing over at the others to make sure they were still asleep (he knew they were still asleep, but he still felt the need to check), he stepped forward and lowered himself onto the soft sheets of Emma's bunk, running his palms over the smooth fabric. He had to admit, he felt a little strange being in a bed besides his own – almost like being in another person's house while they were away, or like a thief looking through the photo album of a family he had never met – but in the end he was tired and no one was watching, so he laid down and settled himself beneath the covers, bringing the ends of the sheets up to his chin as he tried to let sleep overtake him.

Slowly, he closed his eyes, and although he knew it wasn't a good idea, he took a deep breath.

It was meant to calm himself down more than anything, but it did just the opposite; he hadn't expected it to be so _strong._ The sheets – they smelled just like her. Up until that point he'd had no idea that beds could carry the scent of a person so well, or maybe it was just Emma herself and she was an exception. Either way, the aroma that filled his nostrils - however faint – was both welcomed and unwanted as he breathed it in with each intake of his lungs. And as he held the covers to his face like a security blanket and took slow, careful breaths, he had to remind himself that he had done what he'd had to do, and there was no going back.

She was happy now.

She had to be.

He just hoped he'd made the right choice.

* * *

"Mom?"

Emma's head shot up from the shield of her arms as she sat in Regina's office, weary eyes resting on her son.

She couldn't help it – she teared up the moment she saw him. "Henry..."

Henry ran to her then, not having a care in the world that Belle, Gold, Charming, Snow, and Regina were present as he threw himself into her arms, squeezing her in a tight hug. Emma didn't mind; she held on even tighter. It was all so surreal...she never thought she'd see her family again, and yet here they were, right within arm's reach. Pan was right, she _did_ miss her family. She would be forever indebted to him for his act of kindness.

"Mom, what happened to you?" Henry asked, pulling back and looking over her lack of wrinkles and lineless face. "Why are you so..."

"Young?" Regina finished, cocking an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

It was a simple fact, and yet the raven-haired woman had managed to make it sound like a terminal disease.

The tense and awkward silence that ensued strongly contrasted the near miracle that had happened not an hour before, so much so that it was almost comical, but it was still overbearing enough for Charming to feel the need to step in and take the reigns of the conversation before it completely headed south.

"How long will she stay this way?" He asked, looking to Gold.

"Well," the older man started, placing both hands on his cane. "It doesn't look good."

"What do you mean it doesn't look good?" Charming asked, raising his voice in alarm. "You mean she's gonna be like that forever?"

"Well no, she _will_ age," Gold said calmly. "But it will be as though the past...ten years or so of wear and tear on her body never happened. She will age from the point her body is at now." They all paused to stare at Emma, and a long beat of silence passed before he spoke again. "Look, if she had only been gone for a few days, I might be able to reverse it. But that island – Neverland – it _changes_ people. And with the amount of time she's spent there...the effects are irreversible. I'm sorry."

Charming's shoulders slumped, Snow's face grew crestfallen, and Regina's oh-so-subtle smirk were all hard to miss when you were the cause of them, and to Emma's seventeen-year-old mind it was infuriating. Without so much as a second thought, she moved Henry aside and angrily stood up from her chair.

"Well don't talk about me like I'm not here!" She shouted, fists clenching as she stared at the shocked faces of her parents. "Do you have _any_ idea what I've been through? The things I've had to cope with, the things I've had to _let go _of? I thought I'd never get to see you guys _again!_ And you're worried about my _age?! _What is wrong with you?!"

Tears welled up in her eyes, all the feelings and emotions that had been repressed from the moment she'd arrived now resurfacing at an alarmingly intense rate, and Snow immediately tore herself from her husband and flew to her distressed daughter's side with open arms, ready to cry herself.

She wrapped her arms around Emma, and Charming was there a millisecond later to follow in his wife's footsteps. Henry joined in as well, and they all stood silently as Emma let a few of the tears she'd been wanting to shed finally fall.

"Things will be better," Snow whispered, reaching up to stroke the back of her head. "You're here now. It'll be just like it used to. I promise."

Emma wanted to reply, but she only cried harder.

Because even after all of their words, all their confidence in the future and soothing reassurances, there was still that thought, that possibility – what if it _wasn't _going to get better? What if it made no difference whether she was here now or not? What if, at the end of the day - of _each_ passing day - she would still be isolated from the rest of the town because of her unchangeable appearance and apparent betrayal of the very town she'd been born to protect? Regina would still have Henry and her parents would forever be challenged with the task of accepting that their daughter had chosen Pan, someone she didn't even _know_ at the time, over them. How could she say that everything was going to be alright?

But she didn't allow herself to think these things – she stopped herself from getting that far.

Instead, she chose to bury herself in her mother and father's arms and hide away from the world and her problems, if only for a little while. She allowed herself to be surrounded in a cocoon of blind and unconditional love by her family, and doesn't feel one ounce of shame or regret at having Gold and Belle and Regina present for her moment of weakness.

Maybe it's because she's a teenager, maybe it's because of all the crap she's been through and she's just finally had enough of playing the 'tough girl', but she couldn't care less as she sniffled and cried like a newborn infant.

And maybe her mom was right. Maybe things would get better, like she said. But facts are facts, and the fact was that, in truth, she didn't know. Nothing was certain, and in all fairness it could go either way – the next few days could confirm either her worst fears or her happiest fantasies, but as with all things, only time would tell.

And as Snow, Charming, and Henry hugged her as tightly as they ever had in all the time she'd known them, she couldn't help but hope that with time everything would be exactly how they used to.

* * *

They're not.

* * *

Pan swallowed nervously as he tried to decide on what he should say.

He had gathered the Lost Boys outside the Hollow Tree after breakfast, intent on telling them the truth behind what he was sure was undoubtedly on their minds – where was Emma? Of course, none of them were bold enough to actually come out and _ask_ this, as they knew very well what happened when one posed a question to Pan that they need not - or rather, _should_ not - know the answer to. But it didn't hide their curiosity, and it didn't hide the fact that it wasn't right to keep them in the dark about the one person whom they had come to know and love.

Sighing to himself, Pan raised his chin to address the chattering boys. "Alright, quiet down."

His order garnered results immediately, and after a few long and tense moments of silence Pan opened his mouth to speak, but Tootles beat him to it.

"Pan, where's Emma?"

The question hung heavily in the air after it was spoken, and the others visibly tensed as the words left the young boy's mouth, unsure of how Pan would react, but in truth, the young immortal was glad for it. If he hadn't gone ahead and asked the question, he wasn't sure that he would have been able to give an answer.

"Actually, that's just what I wanted to talk to you all about," Pan said, looking at Tootles. "As you all know, Emma and I were having...a debate of sorts-"

"You mean a fight?" The Twins simultaneously yet timidly corrected.

Pan looked at them, trying to hide his grimace as he nodded. "Yes. A fight."

"What about?" Nibs asked, feeling bolder now that the others were speaking without any serious repercussions.

Pan opened his mouth to answer, but Felix beat him to it.

"Her _happiness_," the teen sneered, turning the attention of the others to himself. "She wasn't happy here with us and she wanted to go back where she came from."

Pan glared at him. "Stop it, Felix."

"What do you mean she wasn't happy?" Tootles asked, looking confused and hurt. "You mean she didn't like being here with us? She didn't...care about us?"

"No," Felix said, meeting Pan's glare with one of his own. "She _didn't._"

"Enough!" Pan shouted, and the others immediately shut their mouths and looked shamefully at the ground. "Emma _was_ happy here with us," he said, trying to will assurance into his voice. "She _was._ She just missed her family. She didn't go back on her own, she didn't _want_ to...I sent her back."

That got their attention.

"What?!" They simultaneously shouted with the exception of Felix, and Nibs spoke before the rest could stop him. "What do you mean you sent her back? Why would you do that if she didn't want to go?"

"Because it wasn't right," Pan said simply. "It was wrong of us to want to keep her here when she has a family that loves and misses her back home. It was selfish and cruel, and we never should have tried to convince ourselves otherwise."

"You mean _you_ never should have tried to convince yourself otherwise," Felix interjected, crossing his arms and clenching his teeth behind pursed lips.

"...Yes," Pan admitted, nodding gravely at him. "It was my fault to begin with. I tried to do the impossible and force Emma to fit into a world that's not her own, that never _will_ be her own. Besides...she's the Savior. It was wrong of me to even keep her from performing her duties for this long."

A long bout of silence ensued after he finished talking, the heads of each of those present filled with thoughts and questions and speculations regarding the young Swan girl and her departure from their lives, and Pan felt as though he had no choice but to stand back and let them come to their own conclusions.

"So..." Tootles began, breaking the quiet as he voiced his forming thoughts. "Emma's gone?"

"Yes, Tootles," Pan said. "Emma's gone."

"But...she still loves us, right?"

The others parted to make room as Pan walked up to the youngest member of the group and knelt down in front of him. Placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, he smiled softly and sighed. "Yes, Tootles...she does."

The boy nodded, as though understanding, and the others gradually came closer to engage in a sort of comforting huddle, like a group hug without the hugging, and after a minute or so had passed Pan decided it was time to help them move on. It was going to be hard without magic, of course, as Emma had so _generously_ pointed out, but not impossible. Nearly impossible, yes, but completely.

For a moment he regretted sending Emma back, for tearing her away from the life and people she had only just begun to grow accustomed to. But he also realized that it was a selfish thought to begin with, the very roots of her stay being born out of greed and darkness, hardly pure intentions to justify anything on his part. No, he would simply have to move forward with his life and cherish the memories he'd shared with the Savior, no matter how brief they may have seemed, as one would a lovely dream they had awoken from.

Because in the end, that's all it really was; a dream.

She had never been meant to stay there, the prophecy had never intended for it. And yet he had tried, pushed with all his might to bend and manipulate it to his will, only for it to backfire on him in the end - he was lucky that it had worked for this long, really. And so, he would have no choice but to move forward and appreciate the short illusion her presence had granted him, as well as the others, for the rest of his days. And if nothing else was certain, he knew that he would never allow himself to forget the change she had brought upon him.

He didn't know how things would be from this point on, but he decided to hold out hope that they would move on and forget as they always did, and that with time things would be exactly how they used to.

* * *

They're not.

* * *

**A/N: Again, SO sorry I haven't updated in so long. It truly is a tragedy :( But at least I pulled through in the end, right? I mean can you _imagine_ waiting over a _year_ for this thing to be updated?_ Ha!_  
**

**'Til next time! (Much sooner than the last!)**


	23. E Proposition

**A/N: 05/03/2015 So, I wanted to update this about 5 days ago. And then after I updated, be able to gloat and say 'two updates in the same month! How do ya like **_**that!**_**' and then of course there'd be praise and balloons and celebrations and confetti. And Michael Jackson, so he could sing 'I'm Bad' in the background while I bask in my own petty glory. But as you can see, that didn't happen. ****Darn. Alternate universes are starting to sound really awesome right now :/**

**No Pan in this chapter (unfortunately) BUT, there IS a really important plot point, so don't forsake this chapter!**

**HarleyQuinn4eva: First of all, I LOVE your username, as well as avatar. I could not agree more. I love Harley Quinn :D Second of all, I'm sorry. I wanted to swoop in as soon as you reviewed and be all gung-ho with the awesomeness, buuuut it didn't turn out that way :/ Anyway, thanks for reviewing. You have NO idea how much it helps me to have so many people that care about this story pushing me to do better and update more often :') Enjoy the update!**

**the white wolf Haruka: Yes, don't worry, the Lost Boys will see Emma again. In the next chapter, actually ;) So hang tight! That happy ending is on its way! Enjoy the update!**

**Nichole: It's cool. I'm just glad you bothered to review at all, lol ^^ I'm SUPER glad you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to update on a more regular basis. I've got several other fics going at the moment as well as various art projects and general life. But anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. And yikes! Nichole is my middle name too! How weird is that?! :D**

**Guest****: Yes, I know! But the best fanfics (especially crack pairing fics) have strong drama towards the beginning and end, so I thought it was necessary. Besides, would you _want_ Emma to go about the rest of her days being Pan's plaything and never seeing her family again? (don't answer that). Ahem, anyway please enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D**

**everlastingtrueromance: Oh, Snow and Charming _are_ happy that Emma's younger. They're just a little (a lot) shocked that she's so much younger than they left her. You'll see in this chapter ^^ Enjoy the update!**

**HenriettaPotterLeFay7: I know! I totally screwed things up for them! I'm sorry! D: Don't worry, though. The next chapter will be bursting with so many happy feels that I can't even begin to describe. LOOK FORWARD TO IT :D And in the meantime, enjoy this chapter XD**

**BlackCatNeko999: Aww, thank you. I'm so flattered ^^ And yeah, I know. Watching others suffer (even if it's fiction) shouldn't be nearly as enjoyable as it is. Lol. Anyway, please enjoy this update. I've finally chosen which ending I'm going to go with, so hang tight through it! ;)**

**LoveLiving: Thanks! It's good to BE back! Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

**MinhUsagi134****: I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you sad! I just wanted to properly illustrate Emma's feelings at being separated from Pan and unexpectedly being reunited with her family again :( Anyway I hope you like this update! Enjoy!**

**PilarMorgenstern: Thank you! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but please enjoy this update! **

**Reading time: 10-15 mins.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter twenty-three: Proposition~

* * *

Emma wasn't sure how she did it, but she was able to survive life without Pan and the Lost Boys for over a month.

If time moved slower in Neverland (or whichever way it went) then it moved like _molasses_ in Storybrooke. She didn't want to seem like she was depressed or unhappy to be back with her parents and family – she _was_ happy – but the truth was that she missed Pan. If she had been beamed back to Henry and Snow and Charming just a month earlier, she would have been elated beyond all reason. Sure, she would have felt a little guilty about leaving Tootles and the others behind, but in the end, she would have moved on with her family and never looked back.

And it would have been so much _simpler,_ too, if she had been able to get back sooner, so as to avoid the heartbreak and inner turmoil she was feeling now. But that wasn't the case, and she wasn't as cold and unfeeling towards Pan as she wished she could be.

Her hopes and fears were respectively fulfilled and squashed after her first couple of weeks in Storybrooke. The time it took for her to 're-adjust', as Gold had put it, was an easygoing and slow thing, but pleasant nonetheless. The townsfolk didn't seem to be aggressive or harboring of betrayal-based grudges, her parents still loved her just as much if not more than before, Henry still wanted to spend time with her, and Regina was surprisingly civil. It wasn't that she had _expected_ everyone to be hostile towards her, but with the unknown amount of time she had spent away from Storybrooke and its people, it was rather easy for her to jump to wild and unrealistic conclusions.

She knew now that she was just being ridiculous, of course, assuming that everyone would want nothing to do with her now that she was back, but she didn't blame herself for it. After all, she had been put through the unimaginable! Going to a make-believe place she'd never even thought existed and experiencing an age-reversal she'd never thought medically possible. And now, days, weeks, months later, she finally had back the life she'd wanted since setting foot in Neverland.

It sucked.

"Hey Emma," Snow called, walking into she, Emma, and Charming's shared apartment. "What do you want for dinner? Charming and I were thinking about pasta."

"I don't know," Emma sighed, crossing her arms over the kitchen counter and leaning her head down. "Whatever you want, I guess."

The movement behind her ceased, and Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes as she imagined the overly concerned look on her mother's face.

"O...okay," Snow said, the melancholy sigh evident in her voice.

She rounded the counter to put the groceries away, and Emma moodily shifted in her seat away from her mother.

It wasn't that she was _annoyed_ that her mom was concerned for her. It was just that she was concerned for all the wrong reasons. Ever since she'd come back, Snow and Charming had been very careful around her, as though they didn't know how she would react to every little topic or inquiry they had. Even _questions_ seemed like timid requests -_ Do you want to go shopping? Are you okay with being alone for a few hours? Is this good? Is that okay?_

She hated to say anything bad about her parents, but the fact of the matter was that they were being overbearing. But of course it wasn't like she could _tell_ them that; it would only hurt their feelings. And so, she could only grin and bear (or in her current case, scowl and bear) as they doted on her like a little kid.

"So, I was thinking that maybe the three of us could take Henry out to the park tomorrow," Snow said, getting out some pots and pans. "If that's okay with you."

"It's _fine_, mom," Emma said, irritation spiked as she pushed back to sit up straight on her stool. Pausing, she added, "I'm not a little kid anymore, you know."

Snow turned her head away, and then towards, her daughter, an unsure but steady smile on her lips. "Well...you kind of..._are_ a little kid."

Oh. Right.

"_Teenager_," Emma corrected, feeling the need to cover her embarassment. "I'm a teenager. Anyway, it's not the same. I'm sixteen, not five. There's a difference."

"I know, Emma," Snow sighed, slumping her shoulders as she readied the ingredients for the pasta. "I'm sorry. I know Charming and I have been..._overly attentive_. But you have to understand, we're still adjusting. After all, it wasn't too long ago that we found out you _were_ our daughter! Imagine our surprise when we have to leave you behind and find you again years younger!"

Yes, she had a point.

But that didn't mean she would admit it.

"Well...re-adjust, already! Gosh, it feels like I've been in a _nursery_ for the past two months, not an apartment!"

"Month-and-a-half," Snow corrected, and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Anyway, you need to quit treating me like an infant! For Pete's sake, at this rate I might as well turn in my driver's license for a diaper! When's the last time you let me drive?"

"When's the last time your license was valid?" Snow countered. "If I recall correctly, your driver's license stated your were twenty-nine. What exactly do you plan on telling the police if you get pulled over? _When_ you get pulled over? This town isn't that big. There's nowhere you need to go that you can't walk to."

"Except _Neverland,"_ Emma mumbled, and Snow stiffened.

Emma froze as well, realizing her mistake, and she opened her mouth to fix it, but her mother beat her to it.

"...I'm sorry," she said after a while. "That you can't be where you want to be right now. I really am."

Emma widened her eyes, knowing just how much she had hurt her mother with her previous statement. She opened her mouth to apologize, to make her realize that that wasn't what she meant, that she had never intended to hurt her feelings, but she wasn't quick enough.

Charming was coming through the door a moment later, hustling and bustling and making a ruckus as he stepped inside.

"Okay, I've got all the bags," he said cheerily, an innumerable number of bags on either arm. "Have you started dinner yet?"

His smile gradually faded as he noticed the pursed lips and heavy atmosphere between mother and daughter, pausing in the doorway to stare between them.

"Uh...is everything okay?"

Neither spoke, but Charming's question was clearly answered with their silence.

_No._

* * *

Dinner was prepared and eaten in complete silence, and afterwards Emma retreated to her room to think.

She still felt terribly bad about what she had said, or rather what her mother had interpreted she'd said. It wasn't that she missed Pan over her family - her own flesh and blood – or loved him more than them. It was just that...that...she didn't know. It was so hard to explain in words, let alone thoughts.

It was like...it was like being two halves of a whole. She had initially left the whole to go to Neverland and save Henry's life. But in doing so, she had inadvertently split that whole into two parts. Being oblivious to this fact, she thought that if she could get back to Storybrooke she would simultaneously fill the hole in her heart, unknowing that she would only be trading one loneliness for the other. And now, here she was, missing Pan and the Lost Boys and Neverland just as much as she had missed Henry and the townsfolk and Storybrooke before. And, like everything else in her life these days - it sucked.

Emma was broken from her thoughts by her mother, who was gently opening the door and slipping inside.

"Hey," the raven-haired woman greeted quietly. "Just thought I'd see how you're doing, seeing as how you- are you okay?"

Realizing what a funny face she was making, Emma shook her head and snapped out of it, willing her cheeks not to blaze in embarrassment. "It's nothing. Sorry."

Snow looked relieved. "Oh. Okay, then." She moved to sit down next to her on the bed, resting her hands on her knees in a very 'mom-like' fashion. "So, I just wanted to say that...I'm sorry."

Emma's eyes flew wide. "What?! _You're_ sorry?! _I'm_ the one who-"

She held up a hand. "Emma, please. You were just reacting the way anyone would react to being treated the way you were. I'm sorry I said what I said. It wasn't fair, or _right_ of me to make you feel like you had chosen one world over the other. I know you love us both."

She didn't have to ask to guess who she was referring to by 'both', and the word 'love' being thrown in there made her feel an unwilling blush come to her face.

Snow continued- "Anyway, I wanted you to know that both Charming and I..."

-but she didn't hear her.

There was something about what she had said, about loving them _both_, that made her mind spiral into a million pieces in even more directions, though all ultimately heading toward the same destination. Why did she have to love them both? Why separately? Why couldn't she love them together, as one? And that was when it hit her. The answer was so obvious and so simple it might as well have been an elephant in the room. Only she hadn't noticed it before because she was blindfolded. And someone had to come along and metaphorically slap her to get her to even _think_ of taking it off. And then she saw. And then- oh gosh. This was going too far. Seriously, what was with her and her overly analogical mind? Stupid teenage angst.

Excited and unable to maintain her most basic manners, Emma burst forth with the first thought that came to mind, cutting her mother's heartfelt apology off completely.

"Come with me," she said, and the suddenness of her tone and the light in her eyes startled her mother.

"C- come with you?" Snow echoed, confused. "_Where?_"

"To Neverland," she explained, smiling with delight. _Seriously, why hadn't she thought of it before? _"I mean the only reason you're staying here to begin with is because of me and Henry, right?"

She stuttered. "W-well, _yes_, but-"

"So let's all go to Neverland! We can stay there 'til the rest of our days and be..._happy!_ _Together!_"

"But Emma," Snow argued, brow furrowed. "Charming and I...we have a _kingdom_ to run! We can't just pick up and leave our subjects, our _friends!_"

"So bring them too," she offered, overcoming her mother's dilemma.

"I...it's not that _simple_, Emma! We can't just..._disappear! _What about Storybrooke? This...this is my home! I can't just leave it on a whim! And what about Regina? Do you really think she's going to let you take Henry away from her? To another_ dimension_? And then of course there's the problem of getting everyone to _agree_ to it..."

She fell silent then, and with time, Emma did too. The light in her eyes faded and her smile diminished, and her hope was all but gone.

"...I get it," she said. "You're afraid."

Snow looked up, staring at her daughter with an unrecognizable expression.

"You don't want to go anywhere you're not familiar with," she continued. "Anywhere that's not _safe."_

Blame her stupid teenage hormones, but she began to get teary-eyed. "I'm _sorry_ that my happiness isn't as important as your _comfort zone_."

She turned to leave, and Snow tried to calm her down-

"Emma, wait-"

-but she was already gone.

* * *

Another two weeks went by and before she knew it, it was the end of the month.

It was official now. She had spent exactly two months away from Pan. She hoped that they were alright.

_Even Felix?_ Her mind asked.

_Yeah. Even Felix, _she thought with a sigh. _Even Felix..._

She sighed again, louder and longer this time, and rolled over dramatically to lay on her stomach at the end of her bed, head and feet dangling off the edges. Her bed sucked. Her situation sucked. Life sucked. Everything sucked. And she wasn't completely sure that that was her teen angst talking. She was broken from her depressing thoughts by her father.

"Emma?" Charming called. She could hear his footsteps as he moved about the apartment. "Emma, you in here?"

"In here," she called back, somewhat annoyed that he would look anywhere but her room first.

The door swung open, and she rolled over onto her side so she could look up at the suspiciously enthusiastic expression her father was wearing. "Oh, good, you're dressed," he said, more to himself than her as he noticed her ready-to-go attire; these days, 'dressed' meant not being in pajamas all day. "Come on. We're all meeting up at Gold's and we have to be there in ten minutes."

"What?" Emma asked, unable to comprehend the situation as she got up from the bed and slipped on her shoes. "Why, what is there that we _all_ need to go there for?"

Charming backtracked into her room, sticking her with a conflicting look as he ammended, "Just...come on."

She did as she was told.

* * *

As expected (with her luck lately, anyways) they arrived about five minutes late.

It seemed like the entire _town_ was there, crammed into Gold's tiny space from elbow to elbow as they all chattered and fought for breathing room. Gold had just begun to quiet them down when she and Charming walked in the door.

"Ah," he said. "You've arrived."

Though his tone was polite, Emma could still detect a hint of annoyance due to their tardiness.

"Good," Regina said, taking the reigns of the conversation. "We can finally _begin."_

She turned to the townspeople, ready to address them, and with no desire to look at the snobby woman's face, Emma looked idly around the crowd for Henry or Snow.

"As you all may know," Regina began. "There has been talk these past couple of weeks about leaving Storybrooke in favor of a more..._suitable_ environment."

"What do you mean, 'suitable'?" Grumpy interrupted, stepping forward and pointing an accusing finger at her. "Are you planning on taking us somewhere even _more_ horrible this time? What's next? The _Netherworld_?"

An outraged cry of protest erupted from the group, and Charming moved from beside Emma to step out from the crowd and calm them down.

"_Look!_" He shouted, raising and lowering his hands to signal them to quiet down.

Unfortunately his words went unheeded, and it wasn't until Snow left her place beside Henry on the far end of the room to join her husband that the growing cries of the townspeople drifted back to near-silence.

"All my husband is trying to say," Snow said, looking earnestly amongst her subjects. "Is that Regina has nothing to do with this. This was all me and Charming's idea, I swear it. And it would be better for all of us."

"What plan?" Rubi asked, voicing everyone else's confusion.

"I think we can all agree that we don't belong here," Snow began carefully. "This world...it's not _for_ us. And it was never meant to _be_ for us. And...after much consideration with my husband, Regina, _and_ Gold...we've decided...that it would be _best_, for _everyone_, if..." She swallowed nervously, and Charming gave her arm a reassuring squeeze as she searched the crowd for Emma's face, eyes locking with hers as she finished, "If we all move to Neverland."

The crowd exploded.

"Neverland?!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"You can't possibly be serious!"

"I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather take my chances with the Wicked Witch than get my soul sucked out!"

Eventually the noise became too much, and Gold stepped in to silence them."Quiet down, quiet down..."

Oddly enough, Emma couldn't hear them.

It was as though someone had turned down the dial on her ears, and the silence created a deafening frequency in her head.

She could only stare, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, at her mother.

* * *

Another week went by in preparation for the portal that would be used to cross over into Neverland.

The town had quieted into a sort of inner contemplation phase. Not much talking went on nowadays, it seemed, and for good reason - Emma wasn't sure about everyone else, but she knew that she wasn't holding up very well at _all._Just the thought of leaving Storybrooke forever, of leaving _Earth_, the place she had grown up and come to know and love, scared the crap out of her. She knew what she wanted – she _wanted_ to be with Pan and the boys again – but just knowing that she was actually going to get it scared her all the more.

What would happen when they moved to Neverland? Would Pan and the boys still want her? What about her parents or Henry or the others? Would they get along with each other? Would Pan and Regina see eye to eye? What if things didn't work out? What if the _universe_ exploded because they crossed the bridge between two worlds that were never meant to meet and they ruined the space/time continuum?!

It was so easy for her brain to go haywire at even the slightest notion of something going wrong, it was getting ridiculous. Who was she kidding? It _was_ ridiculous. A thousand worries and a billion possibilites flew through her mind at such an alarming rate that in the end it just made her feel sick to her stomach. And now, today more than ever, she felt as though she might vomit. In fact, that's where she was now, hunched over the toilet in the bathroom of her parent's apartment in case any of the warring feelings swirling in her gut decided to work their way the surface and make themselves known.

"Ugh..."

Emma groaned, legs sprawled out behind her as she leaned over the toilet seat, trying not to think about how close she probably was to getting sick and coming down with something rather unpleasant.

Today was the day they would make the trip to Neverland.

It was nothing short of the truth, and yet the simple fact was enough to have her stomach swirling and make her lean further over the toilet in utter revulsion. A knock on the door was the only thing keeping her insides where they were suppsed to be – _inside._

"Emma?"

It was Charming.

"I'm- I'm fine!" She called back, willing away the shake from her voice.

Ever since she had declared that the town would move to Neverland, she had kept her distance from her mother. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful, it was that she herself felt ashamed. She should have said something when Snow had broken the news; Really, how could she let herself be responsible for such a dramatic change in everyone – _everyone!_ \- else's lives just because she threw a little tantrum? What was wrong with her? Why hadn't she _said_ anything, _done_ something to make things normal again?

"Are you sure?" Charming's muffled voice asked, breaking her concentration once more.

Emma slowly got up from her spot by the toilet. "Y- yeah, I'm fine!"

"Well get ready, okay? We've only got about an hour before Gold opens up the portal."

Aaaand there was the queasiness again.

"O-okay. I'll hurry up," she said, trying to swallow down the foulness in her throat.

The sound of her father's retreating footsteps greeted her ears, and Emma took a giant sigh of relief.

She took her time getting ready.

* * *

The sight of Gold's portal was something that shook her to the core.

The giant green rotating swirl, with its wisps of glowing energy and pool of unending blackness in the middle, frightened and unsettled her beyond reasoning. It was strange, silly and illogical; she should be _elated_ at the thought of seeing Pan again. But she wasn't. Instead, she felt nothing but fear, uncertainty, and a sliver – just a sliver – of hope that everything would turn out just fine. She felt sick all over again.

"The portal will be open for eight hours," Gold explained as they all stared at the object in question. "Once that period of time has passed, it will close in on itself and shut the door between our worlds. So I hope you've all brought your knick-knacks and scrapbooks, because there's no going back from here."

There was a bout of contemplative silence, each person going through in their mind what they were bringing and what they were leaving behind, and somewhere during the silence Emma found herself speaking up.

"But what will happen to Storybrooke?"

Everyone looked to her, and the quiet immediately became deafening.

"Storybrooke is only here because _I_ _willed_ it," Regina spoke harshly, stepping forward. "And it's only here now because of all the..._inhabitants,_ residing in it. When every last one of us is on the other side of that portal, Storybrooke will have nothing to support its existence, and will collapse on itself. And it will be as though it were never here at all."

She didn't know why, but Emma felt the need to argue. "But...what about all the tourists and hitchikers you've had over the years? Won't they find it strange that they can't get back to a place they visited at some point in their lives?"

It was slim, yes, but grasping at straws was all she could do to get them to possibly turn back and stay.

"In my experience, miss Swan," Regina said smugly. "_Hitchikers_ and tourists don't normally tend to revisit the places they've been, especially if they're lost and are only looking for directions...besides; how can you remember a place that doesn't exist? Or never truly existed, for that matter?"

Regina smirked at her confused expression, and Gold stepped in to further explain. "Basically, Storybrooke is like a time-bubble. People that have been here will only remember they were here at all because it still continues to exist. When _we_ step through that portal-" he pointed to the glowing green swirl of blackness. "-the bubble will pop, and any memories or tangible things connected to it will cease to exist. Make sense, dearie?"

Emma blinked, dumbfounded and at a loss for words. "I...I- I guess so..."

"Great," Regina smiled falsely. "Then you won't have a problem going first."

_First?_

_Who said anything about going first?_

_Why did it have to be her?!_

Emma slowly backed away, shaking her head and blinking her eyes. "I...I..." She turned her head towards her parents. "...Are you _sure_ about this?" She asked, looking worriedly between them before settling her eyes on her mother. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. If this is just about what I said, then-"

Snow shook her head. "No, Emma. You're right. We can see that you're unhappy, and we don't belong here. We never did."

Regina bristled in the background, but it went unnoticed.

"Besides," she went on, raising a hand to cup her daughter's face. "We _have_ our happy ending. It's time for you to get yours."

Emma smiled, feeling fresh tears prick at her eyes, and hugged her parents, squeezing them with all the might she had.

"We know you're afraid," Snow whispered, stroking her daughter's hair. "You're afraid that, even after all this time, he won't want you back. I know how it feels. Trust me." Emma squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will back the tears that were beginning to fall. "But you _have_ to realize," Snow continued. "That...even if he _doesn't_ still want you, it will kill you even more to go the rest of your life without knowing for sure."

"But what if he really doesn't?" Emma asked, voice croaking. "What if we take this...big, _giant_ leap and it's all for nothing?"

Snow smiled. "Don't worry about it. It won't be."

She and Charming pulled Emma back to look at her, and Henry moved away from Regina to join them a moment later in a group hug.

She stayed like that, cocooned between her parents and child, feeling nice and safe and protected. She wanted to stay like that forever...

"_Aherm_, I hate to get in the way of the 'touching family moment'," Gold interrupted. "But we need to hurry if we're going to get an entire town into another dimension."

Emma reluctantly released her parents, wiping her eyes and recomposing herself. "Right," she mumbled, smiling. "Sorry."

"Regina, Charming, and I will stay behind to make sure everyone is accounted for," Gold continued. "And once they are, we'll step through the portal and close it ourselves." He stepped aside and gestured to the portal in a gentlemanly fashion, smiling at Emma and Snow. "Ladies first."

Emma and Snow stepped forward, and the young teen slipped the fingers of her right hand between those of her mother's left one, locking them tightly together as a means of assurance.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked again, looking to the raven-haired woman.

The Snow White Queen turned her head to stare lovingly at her daughter, and smiled.

"Absolutely."

And together, they stepped through the portal.

* * *

**A/N: This ended up being a lot longer than I had intended, but at least you have the whole story surrounding Emma's journey now. I wonder how Pan will react when he sees an entire town 'magically' inhabiting his island? Thoughts? :D**

**'Til next time!**


	24. PE Reunited

**A/N: 07/26/2015 Sooooo sorry I took so long...again T_T I wanted to wait until I had the alternate ending up to post this, buuuut I figured you guys have waited long enough for an update. Am I right? Of course I am. So please enjoy this chapter! :D**

**BIG thank yous to everyone who's been reviewing lately and egging me on to get this done, especially StarBurst10. I honestly don't know when this thing would get finished if it weren't for you PMing me all the time :')**

**Reading time: **

**if you're fast: 9 mins or less.**

**if you're slow: 16 mins or less.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Chapter twenty-four: Reunited~

* * *

Peter Pan sat by the campfire just outside the Hollow Tree, fingers laced together just below his chin as he hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees and watched the Lost Boys play tag.

He sighed, trying not to let his brooding mood show through so as not to upset the others, though they all knew the truth; he was upset that Emma wasn't there anymore, and it was showing through. _Terribly_. The Lost Boys practically walked on eggshells around him nowadays, steering clear of him like he was his Shadow for fear of being snapped at. A broken toy, an unfinished plate; it was hard to tell what would set him off these days. And he knew that. Which was why he was trying so hard to reign it all in.

Not that it was working. The current shroud of tenseness hovering over them like a big, black cloud was testament enough to that. Of course, that didn't stop them all from ignoring the elephant in the room and pretending that everything was fine, that the outsider who had captured all of their hearts _hadn't_ gone away to be with her family, hadn't abandoned them all because of him and his actions. When he had decided to send Emma back to Storybrooke, he'd thought it was for the greater good, that his unselfish heart and good intentions would somehow erase all the bad he'd done, but he saw now that it was just the opposite. In giving Emma back to her family, he had taken away the one semblance of a family the Lost Boys had ever had, and probably ever would. Their parents were long dead, and he could never bring himself to kidnap another girl to try and fill the hole the Savior had left.

So which was worse? The fact that he'd sent her back to Storybrooke without so much as a goodbye or warning for the boys, or that he'd given them reason to hope for something resembling a regular family unit in the first place? He didn't know. All he knew was that he had made his choice, and he could do nothing now except hope, just hope, that it was the right one.

Pan pursed his lips, biting his tongue back to keep from reprimanding the Twins for playing too roughly with Tootles, and idly wondered where Felix was.

He had gone out some time earlier to go in search of firewood, and seeing as how time was nearly irrelevant in Neverland, he honestly couldn't say how long he'd been gone. Felix had been acting..._strange_, lately. Well not strange, exactly, but something was definitely different about the boy. Ever since Emma had gone away, his loyal follower had been more distant, closed off from the others, even from Pan himself. In fact, he wouldn't be too surprised if-

"Pan!"

Pan's head snapped up at the sound of his name, turning this way and that until he found the source; Felix was running up to him, noticeably _without_ firewood, and in a manner that was rather unsettling. He slowed to a jog and stopped a few feet away from him, leaning down on his knees to regain his breath, and Pan awaited whatever news he had to bring with growing alertness.

"Pan," he breathed urgently, a strange light in his eyes.

He almost sounded happy.

"What is it?" Pan asked guardedly, pinching his eyebrows together.

"The beach. Come quickly." He looked around at all the others, whose attentions were now completely grasped, and waved his hands in an upward motion as he urged, "Come! Now!"

The Lost Boys all started running excitedly in the direction of the beach, whooping and hollering like mirth-filled madmen as they went, their laughter quickly fading in the distance as their curiosity grew. Felix began to catch up with them, but Pan grabbed him by the arm and spun him around, stopping him from doing any such thing.

"What's this about, Felix?" Pan asked dangerously. "You know I don't like surprises."

Felix looked down at him, and smirked softly. "You'll like this one. Trust me."

Pan reluctantly released his arm, not daring to even _consider_ letting his mind go in the hopeful direction he wanted it to, and Felix walked backwards to keep eye contact with him for a few moments longer before turning around and breaking into a run. "Come on! We need to hurry if we want to catch them in time!"

Pan said nothing, but obeyed nevertheless as he ran to join up with the others, not daring to get his hopes up.

* * *

Emma stared in awe at her new surroundings, mouth falling open in genuine surprise.

The beach.

They were on the beach.

In _Neverland._..

It wasn't that she had been skeptical that Gold and Regina's portal would work – she had complete faith in their abilities with all things magical – but to actually _be_ there, to cross that threshold and step over into another dimension, was beyond her. It was just amazing.

The townsfolk looked around them, at the endless waters of the ocean and the white sands of the beach, at the countless trees ahead of them and the surreal hues of oranges and yellows of the bleeding sunset filling the sky, bathing everything in gold.

They did it.

They really did it...

Upon further inspection, Emma realized that the section of the beach they were occupying was incredibly familiar, and once her eyes fell on an all too familiar tree and rock, she realized that this was the exact same spot she'd ran to when she had tried to escape Neverland all those weeks ago.

"Emma!"

Emma turned her head at the sound of her name, she and Snow's eyes falling on Charming and Henry making their way towards them through the crowd.

"Dad! Henry!"

Emma ran to them, wrapping her arms around them and sighing in relief.

It was irrational, but a part of her feared that they wouldn't make it through the portal or that something would go wrong and they would be sent hurtling off towards another dimension and she would never see them again. But of course, that was ridiculous.

"I'm so glad you guys made it through okay," she whispered, shutting her eyes and squeezing them tight.

"Believe me, we are too," Charming replied, stroking her and her mother's hair as they hugged each other close.

"Oh, to have the _family_ together again."

They broke their group hug to stare at Regina, who sneered unpleasantly at them from a few yards away.

"Regina," Snow greeted tersely, joy fading. "I'm glad you made it through okay."

The raven-haired woman scoffed. "Please. In case you don't remember, it was _my_ magic that helped get us here. If anything had gone wrong, Gold and I would have been just fine."

"Hey!" Charming snapped. "You're lucky that we even _let_ you come along! You should be grateful that we even-"

"Dad, please," Emma pleaded. "We just got here. Let's not fight."

Her father bit his tongue, pursing his lips and taking a few long, calming breaths as he obeyed his daughter's wish. Regina smirked at him, crossing her arms in silent victory as Gold and Belle came to join her side.

"Well," Gold said, looking uninterestedly at their surroundings as Belle hung happily on his arm. "This place hasn't changed a bit."

Emma furrowed her brows. "Wait, you've been here before?"

"I never said that, Dearie," Gold smiled falsely, showing off his sharp teeth. "Anyway, it appears as though everything is in order, so, if you don't mind, Belle and I were just leaving." Smiling once more, he tipped an invisible hat to the Swan family and stepped away, taking Belle and walking off to stroll down the shoreline.

Regina curled her upper lip at their retreating figures, disgusted. "Ugh, look at them. All happy and carefree. It's _disgusting._.."

"I dunno," Red said, coming up behind her. "I think it's cute."

"And _I_ think _you_ need to take a hike and go back to grandma's house," the Mayor snapped, smile dropping.

The wolf-girl stared at her, withstanding the older woman's glare before brushing past her and moving to join Emma and her family, smile returning as she moved to hug Snow.

Regina bristled, averting her eyes from the sight of Henry being so close to them and briskly walking off.

Emma noticed this, and, feeling sorry for the Evil Queen, decided to do the right thing and stop it. She knelt down beside Henry, putting her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey, Henry, why don't you go and see how Regina's doing?" She suggested.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

She blinked a few times, not thinking that it would be this hard to get her son to check on his stepmother, and ended up opening and closing her mouth like a fool for a good few seconds before coming up with a feasible reply. "Uh...well, because she helped get us here. Aaaand I think it would be really nice if you went and let her know how much you appreciate it."

Henry lowered his eyes, reluctantly agreeing. "Well..._yeeaahh._.."

"Pleeeaase, Henry?" She pleaded. "For me?"

Her son sighed, looking up at her and letting a small smile come to his lips. "...Yeah. Okay."

She grinned. "Great. Now go tell her how much you love her before she snaps and decides to kill us all."

"Okay," Henry giggled, letting her ruffle his hair before scampering off to find Regina.

She stood up, watching him go, and smiled to herself. Henry was such a sweet kid. And he was _her_ kid. She couldn't have asked for a better son...she wondered if-

"Look! Over there!"

Emma whirled around, going on the alert as she turned around to find the source of the voice, gaze falling on the extended arm of a stranger pointing toward the tree line at the edge of the beach. She followed the tip of their finger, eyes recognizing the source of the person's alarm, and gasped.

Her breath caught in her throat, eyes going wide as she stared at the little pairs of eyes peaking over some bushes beside a tree. She could only see the tops of their heads, but she didn't need to see their full figures to know who they were; Tootles, the Twins, Nibs, Slightly, Cubby...they were all there. Every one of them. Movement came from behind the boys, and her eyes landed on Felix...Felix. But then where was...?

A hand came to rest on her left shoulder, and she gasped, surprise overtaking her as she whirled around to face-

"Pan?"

He smiled at her with pure disbelief, as though he couldn't quite believe that she was really there, but there was an unmistakable light in his eyes that made it clear he was happy to see her all the same.

"Hello, Emma."

* * *

Emma sat at the dinner table inside the Hollow Tree, trying not to fidget as Pan stared her down.

After running into each other at the beach (whether intentional or not, she didn't know) Pan and the Lost Boys lead the townspeople back to their camp. Felix had told them that Pan had requested meetings with Regina and Gold, but first he would like to speak with Emma.

Needless to say, she was nervous, as she had no idea how he'd react to her bringing an entire _army's_ worth of fairytale characters to the place he called home, but she was also filled with an excitement that could barely be contained at the thought of finally being alone in the same room with him after all this time, where they _didn't_ have to worry about Regina or her parents or anyone else listening in on their conversation. The mixture of the two feelings melted into a sickness in her stomach, but she knew that, after they'd had the chance to hash things out between them, it would go away soon enough.

Pan crossed his arms and tilted his head as he stared down at her, and she knew that he was ready to speak the no doubt _long_ and _strenuous_ monologue he'd probably been preparing for their next meeting from the moment she left.

"So tell me," he began, walking lazily around the length of the table. "_You_ were able to convince Gold and Regina to convince an _entire_ _town_ to move to Neverland _just_ so you could see me again, is that correct?"

He stopped and rested his hands on the table, looking at her for a response, and she looked down at her lap, blushing. Well when he put it _that_ way...

"Um...y- yeah. Are...are you okay with that?"

He launched himself off the table and made his way around to her, sighing. "Well, I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do with a whole _town_ full of people now, let alone deal with their luggage and housing and seemingly incurable addictions to gaming devices and electricity-" her gaze dropped to the floor in shame, her self-esteem plummeting with every problem he noted off. "But I'm glad you're here," he finished softly, walking up to her and cupping her cheek. "And that's all that matters."

Emma's face flooded with relief, and she smiled gratefully as her eyes filled with joyous tears, reaching up to rest her hand over top his.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "I...honestly can't tell you how much I've missed you. I thought...I thought that I would never see you again."

Pan smiled genuinely down at her before bowing his head to try and hide the mischievous smirk forming on his lips. "Well, I wish I could say the same about you, but-"

"Oh, shut up!" She laughed, slapping his arm. "You missed me and you know it!"

She wrapped her arms around his waist and he chuckled, holding her close as they stood there laughing together in the Hollow Tree like they'd done it a thousand times before and enjoying the soothing presence of the other.

"Well like I said, I'd agree with you, but then we'd _both_ be wrong."

She rolled her eyes and lifted an arm to hit his back. "_Stop_ it..."

He quietly snickered in response, clearly pleased with himself at having delivered a worthy comeback, but said nothing more as they remained in each other's arms. Emma had to admit; in the moment, she was truly happy. Never could she remember a single point in her life where she had felt good and happy and _whole_, like she _wasn't_ torn into several different pieces and strewn across seven continents. And now, as she stood there with Pan and listened to the sounds of Henry and her parents talking outside, she felt just that; good and happy and whole.

And it was then that she realized; this was what she needed in the first place. She needed all of these things to be happy, her parents and Henry and Pan. Though each one by themselves brought her a small amount of happiness, nothing could compare to the feeling of having all three of them at once. And she couldn't deny – it felt absolutely amazing.

"Isn't this great?" She asked suddenly, pulling away from him. "You get to meet your step-parents! Yaay!"

Pan gave a look of exhaustion. "Oh, joy..."

"Put a cork in it, they're not that bad. They're actually really nice and very understanding once you get to know them."

"Please refer back to my previous statement for pointers on how I feel."

"Ugh, you're impossible."

She broke away from his embrace and took his hand, slipping her fingers in between his, and gingerly led him out of the Hollow Tree to greet the parents he had made such a terrible first impression on. And as they stepped out of their enclosed haven, she knew that this wasn't the end. If anything, this was only the beginning. And after all they had been through, both together and apart, she couldn't wait to see what lay ahead.

Life, for them, would be never-ending.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for any typos! I'll fix 'em later. I hope you liked it. Like I said I've still gotta write the alternate ending, so don't take this off your watch-list just yet!**

**Also, on a completely related note: I've got a Youtube account now! And a Wattpad! I'm using my YT account to post fan videos (one of which is a Pemma vid!) so you can totally check it out if you want to. As for Wattpad, I'm using it to upload all my 'finished' stories, meaning only full works and no short vignettes or oneshots. So far I've only got a couple of Hunger Games fic on there, but more will come. Links to both accounts are on my ff profile, so click away if you wish! :D**

**Also, I'd really like to write more for Pemma (like a whole other story unrelated to this one) but I've had this idea for a PanxTinker Bell fanfic floating around in my head that has to do with modern AU gangs and ballerinas. What do you think? Do you like PanxTink? I'm not sure if I do. I think I do. Maybe. Idk. Anyway it's been a while, so if you wanna give me your thoughts on that I'd love to reply back and toss some ideas back and forth with you. Just a thought :)**

**'Til next time (hopefully before the Summer is over)!**


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